PM Kakar says no intention to join any political party

QUETTA: Caretaker Prime Minister (PM) Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Tuesday refused to join any political party after the forthcoming general election, scheduled for February 8, 2024, ARY News reported.

“I have no intention to join any political party after the elections,” the prime minister said while responding to a question during a press conference in Quetta.

The statement came after Senator Sarfaraz Bugti resigned from the federal cabinet and joined the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). Sources claimed that he resigned from the cabinet to contest the upcoming general elections.

Sources further said that Sarfaraz Bugti had resigned before issuance of the election schedule as under the law, the members of a caretaker set-up cannot take part in polls.

Addressing a press conference today, PM Kakar said that the government had taken multiple initiatives to bring about reforms in bureaucracy in order to improve overall governance structure of Balochistan province.

He said the province had some chronic and complex issues which ought to be resolved by deputing a blend of upright and hard-working bureaucrats from civil service as well as from the provincial structure.

“Our issues are linked with the bad governance, that had been badly affecting the performance of the province for the last few decades,” he said.

On the request of the Balochistan government, he deputed a competent bureaucrat Shakeel Qadir Khan along with a team, to ensure meritocracy and to streamline the overall structure of bureaucracy.

He said he specifically instructed the team to fully support the Chief Minister and the provincial government in this regard.

PM Kakar said there was an axis of some corrupt bureaucrats and other stakeholders who had crumpled the whole province, thus adversely affecting the national economy.

He hoped that the incoming elected government would also remain vigilant in this regard and would continue the process of reforms in future.

To a question regarding reservations of the nationalist parties to hold free and fair elections in the province, the prime minister said it was just a routine matter as these parties had something to say to their voters.

Reiterating the government’s resolve to hold free and fair elections across the country, he said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would perform its duty to conduct the elections in an appropriate way.

“It is our task that we run the day-to-day affairs of the government, implement the state affairs, and then conduct the election,” he said.

Responding to a question about the projects under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the prime minister said the caretaker setup did not have the mandate to initiate new projects, however he was trying his best to allocate funds for the Quetta-Khuzdar dual carriageway section. He hoped to get the finances for project by the next month.

He said that the children should be given skilled training and the government was ready to provide thousands of skilled trainings.

As regards, the Internet service in Balochistan, the prime minister said this would be resolved in a month or two after completing the project of the firewall.

To another question, he said the Balochistan province had been given the exemption from the government’s recent decision to curtail gas supply.