ISLAMABAD, Feb 07 (APP): Caretaker Minister for Information, Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Solangi on Wednesday said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would ensure free, fair and transparent elections in a peaceful manner across the country on Thursday.
The minister told DW, a German TV, that all registered political parties were given equal opportunities for contesting the elections.
He said the caretaker government had shown full commitment to its mandate and role to assist the ECP in terms of security, and financial and administrative support.
To a query, he said, “The crackdown or the arrest of Imran Khan and some of his colleagues took place much earlier than the caretaker government took office. Those arrests and convictions are the results of violent attacks by his party, incited by him against the state institutions, defence installations and public and private property.”
“The law has taken its course,” he said, adding that no country in the world, be it the United States or any European democracy, “will allow violent attacks against state institutions”.
The country’s relations with the West had improved following the ouster of Imran Khan, said the minister in response to another query.
“It looks like that Mr Khan tried to save his government that was facing the first constitutional vote of no-confidence, by whipping up an anti-West and anti-American sloganeering. He tried to create an anti-American bogey. That did hurt, especially when he revealed and tried to use a secret cable to save his government. That hurt the relations between Pakistan and the United States.”
After Imran Khan’s removal through a constitutional process, he said, both the previous and the caretaker governments did their best to improve those relations. “And I think by and large, we have normalized those relationships.”
To another query, he said Pakistan’s economy had already improved since the caretaker government took office on August 17 last year.
“All economic indicators are positive,” he said while pointing out the stability gained by the Pakistani rupee against the US dollar.
“Pakistan has successfully completed the IMF standby agreement,” he said, hoping that the next elected government would carry forward the reforms carried out by the caretaker government which would eventually improve the economy.
