Skip to main content

Pak Caretaker PM's Theory On Imran Khan-Backed Candidates Big Victory

Pakistan's caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Monday said independents backed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan emerged as the single largest group in the general elections only because his government provided "a level playing field" to all parties.

In the run-up to Thursday's polling day, Mr Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party had often repeated the allegation that the powerful establishment and the caretaker government had not been providing a level playing field to all parties and that certain parties and their leaders were given preferential treatment.

The National Assembly results showed that independents, backed by PTI won 101 seats, another former prime minister Nawaz Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) got 75 seats, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari grabbed 54 and the MQM-P secured 17 seats apart from others bagging eight seats.

"A large number of independent candidates backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf emerged as the largest single group on the national and provincial assemblies," Mr Kakar was quoted as saying by the state-owned news agency, Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).

Mr Kakar stressed that allegations of rigging were generated through social media, which were based upon misconceptions and contrary to the ground realities, and said that "throughout the country's democratic history, people had always questioned the electoral process." 

"Such results indicated the transparency and non-interference by any quarters," he emphasised while addressing a press conference at the PM House.

Mr Kakar agreed that there might be shortcomings or other minor issues, but "by and large, the elections were held in a manner in which the entire nation and the law enforcement agencies deserved kudos despite various security challenges." 

Claiming that PTI got results "the party never dreamt of during 2018," he said, "The loyalists of jailed PTI leaders emerged as returned candidates in the general elections, but no one is appreciating that aspect of the neutrality of the caretaker government." 

Responding to a query, Mr Kakar maintained that over 60 million voters exercised their constitutional right to elect their favourite candidates under "a pressure-free environment." 

"The elections in Pakistan were held in a free and fair manner and there was no institutional mechanism to favour any group," Mr Kakar stressed.

The caretaker prime minister also agreed with the need for electronic voting machines (EVMs) and said that according to his personal view, the political parties should hold threadbare discussions in the next parliament over the issue and legislate, if required, so that the new electoral system could be more acceptable to all.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)



from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/MOtfBqN

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Released 2 American Hostages On "Humanitarian Grounds": Hamas

Gaza's ruler Hamas said Friday its armed wing has released two American hostages, from around 200 captives abducted in attacks by the militant group in Israel on October 7. "In response to Qatari efforts, (Ezzedine) al-Qassam Brigades released two American citizens (a mother and her daughter) for humanitarian reasons," Hamas said in a statement posted on Telegram. The Islamist group did not detail how or when the hostages were released. The Israeli military said earlier Friday that most of those abducted to Gaza were still alive. "The majority of the hostages are alive. There were also dead bodies that were taken... to the Gaza Strip," an army statement said. The military said more than 20 hostages were minors, while between 10 and 20 were over the age of 60. There are also between 100 and 200 people considered missing since the Hamas attacks, the army added. On October 7, the Palestinian militant group carried out a deadly assault on Israel, the worst in...
Post a Comment
Read more

Gaza's Rafah Border Crossing Area Hit In Military Strike

The area of the Rafah border crossing between the blockaded Gaza Strip and Egypt was hit Monday in a military strike, AFP correspondents said, as hundreds of Palestinians gathered hoping to cross. The area of the shuttered crossing point in Gaza's south had been hit at least three times last week by Israeli air strikes after Gaza-based Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7 that triggered all-out war. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/z9CBc7N
Post a Comment
Read more

Sri Lanka Must Achieve Debt Restructuring By September: IMF

The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday reaffirmed that Sri Lanka must achieve its debt restructuring process by September, which is also the time for the global lender's formal review of the bailout facility it extended to the cash-strapped nation. On March 20, IMF extended a nearly $3 billion bailout facility to debt-ridden Sri Lanka that would help stabilise the country's economy after it was jolted by a devastating economic crisis last year. In a statement issued on Tuesday at the end of a nearly two weeks staff visit to Colombo to assess the progress made by Sri Lanka since the agreement was reached, the IMF said the two sides had discussed the developments on debt restructuring. "Sri Lanka must achieve debt restructuring by its first review due in September. We also discussed progress on debt restructuring, noting the ongoing discussions with both foreign and domestic creditors," the statement read. Sri Lanka is still struggling to normalise its crisis-hi...
Post a Comment
Read more