ISLAMABAD: Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, the acting prime minister, stated on Monday that there was still no compelling reason to postpone the general elections, reaffirming the government’s commitment to conducting free and fair elections.
In an interview with the recently established television network, Aik News, the prime minister stated that the candidates were canvassing and that by the evening of February 8, the day of the nation’s general elections, all the rumors will be put to rest.
In response to the standard accusations of election tampering, he stated that in order to learn from the past, the parliament must rectify all of the legal, administrative, and Election Commission shortcomings.
According to the standards in the area, he said, the observers would keep an eye on things and the local and global media would cover the events, guaranteeing that the elections would be mostly free and fair.
He saw that the political parties were also fabricating ID cards and using deceased people’s votes to rig the polls.
In order to guarantee a high turnout, he stressed that everyone should exercise their constitutional right to vote on February 8 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
He underlined the importance of improving the nation’s economy and lamented the fact that no political party has yet to forward a plan to strengthen it. He claimed that a stable economy was intimately linked to all of the political promises made by the parties, including those regarding affordable power, jobs, shelters, and food security.
He asserted that the political parties must devise a strategy for generating income and expanding the tax base.
He cited Pakistan as an example, pointing out that the country’s tax-to-GDP ratio was only 9%, whereas the Scandinavian countries had a ratio of 91%. He also argued that higher taxes would force the government to answer to the people.
When asked about his international travels, he mentioned that he had attended the UN General Assembly session shortly after taking office, calling it “a forum which cannot be ignored,” and that he had also spoken with people in Europe during a layover for plane refueling. He also emphasized going to the ECO Summit, the COP28 session, and the BRI Forum in China, where he had the chance to meet with international leaders and sign bilateral agreements.
He clarified that the caretaker administration had to be involved in managing daily operations, which included foreign policy issues.
In reference to the return of undocumented foreign nationals, he stated that Pakistan had only deported those who had no identity or documentation and that they would be permitted to return after they had obtained legitimate visas and passports.
Speaking on social media, he argued for its regulation similar to that of mainstream media, calling it a challenge that empowered people regardless of their level of education or mental capacity.
He claimed that aside from the support of the cabinet’s permission, the criticism of the caretaker administration for acting beyond its authority was unfounded because all of its acts were authorized and approved by the Law Division.
