The Caretaker Prime Minister, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, has expressed his anticipation that the election date will be announced in the near future, as political parties shift into “election mode.”
While speaking with journalists in the federal capital, the Prime Minister reassured that the interim government is committed to facilitating the electoral process, ensuring that no political party is excluded.
Last month, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) declared that the general elections would take place in the last week of January 2024, but the exact date was not specified.
Regarding the issue of providing a level playing field for political parties in the country, the Prime Minister commented, “I can’t comment on whether a level playing field means guaranteeing the victory of a particular party. We remember the concept of a level playing field in 2018 when the South Punjab front emerged.”
Both the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have demanded a level playing field ahead of the polls, without elaborating extensively on their demands.
Earlier in the day, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, while hearing petitions seeking timely elections within 90 days of the dissolution of the assemblies, noted that meeting the 90-day deadline for holding elections was “not possible.” The apex court adjourned the hearing until November 2.
It is worth noting that the Shehbaz Sharif-led government dissolved the National Assembly on August 9, with the Sindh and Balochistan assemblies also being prematurely dissolved to allow the electoral authority to conduct elections within 90 days.
Had the assemblies been dissolved on time, the electoral body would have been constitutionally obligated to hold polls within 60 days. However, the delay in the polls was caused by the Council of Common Interest’s (CCI) approval of the 7th Population and Housing Census 2023, necessitating fresh delimitations based on the census results.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif, who returned to the country after a four-year self-imposed exile in London, is considered a significant political figure ahead of the elections. The PML-N believes his return will bolster the party’s prospects, especially after the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) 16-month tenure in the government.
Questions have been raised by political parties regarding the security provided to the convicted absconder and allegations that his return was part of a deal. Addressing the biometric verification of the PML-N leader, PM Kakar stated that it was Nawaz Sharif’s right as a Pakistani citizen by birth and that he is a political reality that his opponents should confront in the political arena.
Visit scandals.pk for more news.