Caretaker govt terms elections a success

Interim CM says people reposed confidence in administrative, security measures

Caretaker Chief Minister former Justice Dost Muhammad Khan has said his government fulfilled his constitutional responsibilities for the peaceful and successful elections in the province.

He had sensitised the administrative agencies and the security forces to the required level of delivery for the peaceful and successful conduct of elections. The people reposed confidence in both the administrative measures and the security arrangements turning up in large number to vote in the general elections, he added.

He was talking to the provincial caretaker ministers at his office at Chief Minister Secretariat Peshawar. The meeting evaluated the post-election scenario. He thanked the administrative secretaries and security forces for backing his caretaker setup for the successful conduct of peaceful elections in the province. “The credit for making the smooth and successful elections in the province goes to all the stakeholders for their dedication and backing the whole process making it a complete success story,” Dost said.



The caretaker CM said that the responsibility for the peaceful and successful elections in the province was a challenging one in the given situation because of the threats of terrorist attacks and law and order situation in the province. “Despite all odds, we triumphed”, he added. “I was fully aware of the external enemies and the internal bickering of the political forces and the contesting candidates in the context of Pakistani politics and took appropriate steps to normalise the political situation in the province.”

He was of opinion that right from the day one, the interim-setup focused on the administrative and security measures to successfully conduct elections in the province.

He said at the outset he had to take a number of steps to restore the people confidence in the whole process of holding elections in the province. He planned to remove the apprehensions of the people enabling them to turn up in large numbers to exercise their right of vote in a secure and free environment.



He established contacts with all the political forces and held meetings with them in order to win the support of all the stakeholders that was the indispensible pre-requisite for holding elections in the province. He with a beaming face said that his caretaker set up triumphed against the all-time big challenges.

He said that the meticulously prepared administrative and security plan integrated the whole province.  The plan narrowed down the administrative and security vacuums that worked for the historically successful elections in the history of the province.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 28^th, 2018.