Elections should be held under caretaker setups: law minister

Tarar raises questions on the integrity of general polls if they were held with elected govts in place

ISLAMABAD:

Federal Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar has said that the elections in the country should be held under the new digital census and constituencies, adding that without a caretaker government in place, fingers will be raised on the elections.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, the law minister said that the reservations of the Ministries of Finance, Interior and Defence regarding the elections remain.

He said that caretaker governments were necessary under Article 224 of the Constitution of Pakistan, which lays down the process for elections and the appointment of a caretaker setup, even in case of non-consensus between the government and the opposition.

He pointed out the disparity between the provinces now, highlighting that the Centre, Sindh and Balochistan had political governments as compared to Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) where caretaker setups were in place.

He wondered whether PTI Chairman Imran Khan would accept a non-favourable outcome of the polls. He further questioned how general elections could be impartial in October when there were elected governments in two provinces.

The law minister also questioned the suo motu notice on the matter, saying that it was uncalled for and the decision was given in “haste”.

He called on the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to ensure fair and transparent polls under Article 218 (3) of the Constitution.

Stressing the need for polls under caretaker governments, he said they would accept the results even if the PTI chief bagged a majority.

“A difference was seen in the judiciary regarding personalities, people say that if you criticise, you will be guilty of contempt of court,” he remarked. “If there is criticism, the heads of the institutions should be held accountable.”

Tarar said that former prime minister Imran is now of the opinion that the judiciary should be saved despite having committed “atrocities” on the opposition in his own government.

“At that time there were voices that the judiciary was under pressure at some level,” he maintained. “Imran Khan's behavior in his cases has not been commendable in any way.”

The law minister said that every citizen has the right to discuss the merits of every decision.

He claimed that for the last three months, the court of Islamabad has been sending notices to Imran, but he has not paid any heed to them.

“Imran Khan did not bother to appear where the indictment was to be made,” he added. “Imran Khan should consider his character, there should be uniformity in it.”

He also said that the survival of Pakistan lies in the survival of the judiciary. “The courts issue warrants and you decide when to go and when not,” he added.

The law minister claimed that some institutions were used to imprison politicians.

“Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was removed in an engineered manner, questions must be raised on this; Nawaz Sharif left his sick wife and continued to be a part of the court proceedings,” he added.

With input from News Desk