PM Kakar sees no possibility of delay in polls

• He urged against politicizing existential threat of terrorism.
• PM said all political parties had right to take part in polls.
• He said establishment was playing a neutral role .

SLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said the caretaker government neither had the desire nor the intention to postpone the general election as the Election Commission of Pakistan possessed the powers to consider any such requests.

The prime minister, in an interview urged against politicizing the existential threat of terrorism in some parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and emphasized the need for a united approach.

He said in the given circumstances, mobilizing the people and holding election campaigns would be a challenge in such areas. He reiterated that the caretaker government was resolved to deliver the maximum humanly possible and conclude the polling day to culminate the task assigned to them.

To a question, he said all political parties including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had the right to take part in the electoral process as excluding any registered party would raise questions about the fairness of the polls besides impacting the health of the state and society.

On the concept of “minus one, in the political parties, he said it was due to the lack of institutionalization within their system and called for the need to form local leadership and evolve organically, reducing reliance on individual personalities.

To a question, Prime Minister Kakar said he had always been forthcoming and accessible which developed his relations with the media. About the Indian Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the revocation of Article 370, he said the verdict would be judged by history as freedom was not just their right but the ultimate destiny of the Kashmiri people.

He said Pakistan was committed to the Kashmir cause as the whole nation was unanimous on to support their Kashmiri brethren regardless of any political association.

The prime minister said the establishment was playing a neutral role with no hardcore or actionable evidence of them managing political parties or any other intervention in politics.

Asked to comment about the pre-poll predictions of Nawaz Sharif to be the next prime minister, he said all the political parties usually projected their candidates as the winning figures to attract voters.

Coming to the reformative measures taken by his government, the prime minister said they had recovered around Rs 60 billion under the anti-power theft drive.

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