Photo courtesy PID
Interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Tuesday maintained the government has strived to ensure the peaceful conduct of general elections on Feb. 8 across Pakistan despite numerous challenges.
In a meeting with a delegation of the Commonwealth Observer Group, led by former Nigeria president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, he said Pakistan is proud to honor its commitment as a commonwealth member state by inviting independent international observers to witness the general elections.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, he also highlighted the caretaker government’s role in fulfilling its responsibilities to run the day-to-day affairs of the state and create a conducive environment for polls. “Now it is the turn of the people of Pakistan to exercise their democratic right to vote,” he added.
Jonathan, per the statement, thanked the caretaker prime minister and conveyed the best wishes of Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland. He said the Observer Group’s delegation would visit various polling stations throughout the country to observe the election process on polling day.
The meeting was part of the Group’s interactions with various stakeholders ahead of the upcoming elections. A day earlier, it met Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, who said the electoral body had adopted an “open-door” policy for international observers and thanked the visitors for supporting the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)’s efforts for free and fair polls.
According to the ECP, Army troops deployed to serve as quick response force have started reaching various districts nationwide. The troops, it stressed, would support the civil government during the general elections and ensure the transparency of the electoral process as well as the law-and-order situation.