Entire PTI shouldn’t be blamed for May 9: PM

Kakar assures govt to look into complaints about hurdles in electoral process

ISLAMABAD:

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar emphasised on Saturday that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as a whole should not be related to the May 9 incidents and assured that the interim set-up would investigate the complaints about stopping some people from taking part in the electoral process.

In an interview with a private news channel, the prime minister stressed that the people should have a choice to vote for in the election. He reiterated that the government would not want to oust anyone from the election fray.

The prime minister’s statement came in the wake of several complaints from the PTI leaders that their candidates were being harassed and their nomination papers, they obtained or go to submit with the election officials, were being snatched by police.

“People are free to vote for the candidates of their choice. There is no policy to oust anyone from the political process,” Kakar said. “The Election Commission [of Pakistan (ECP)] will decide about qualification and disqualification of candidates.”

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In his opinion those who showed disruptive behaviour and were involved in the incidents of May 9 should not be allowed to hold public office. However, he agreed that the PTI as a whole should not be related to the violence on that day and the “people should have a choice to vote for it in the election”.

May 9, 2023 incidents refer to the violence that followed the arrest of then PTI chairman Imran Khan in a corruption case. Several buildings including the army’s General Headquarters (GHQ), corps commander’s residence in Lahore and the other state institutions were attacked or torched. “But those who were involved in the May 9 incident should face the law of the land,” Prime Minister Kakar asserted, adding that the police were acting against only those who were directly and indirectly involved in the violent incidents.

“State is a guarantor of the social order and when anyone challenges this order he is an anarchist,” the prime minister said, while discussing the May 9 incidents. In 2013 and 2018, he said, he voted for the PTI as he wanted a better structure of governance and better facilities of health and education for people.

The prime minister explained that Imran was arrested on May 9 because of allegations and that he could have received relief from the court, but instead his party resorted to violence, which led to the present circumstances.

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“Social unrest and chaos on May 9 endangered the security of Pakistan and could have severe implications for the state,” he said, adding that maintaining public order was a lawful tool and the administration was using it for decades to confine the movement of people as a pre-emptive measure.”

Talking about the protesters from Balochistan, who came to Islamabad, Kakar said that everyone had the right to protest with lawful behaviour. He warned that if a situation of law and order was created the law-enforcement agencies would come into action.

The provincial government of Balochistan and a cabinet committee had been formed to look into the issues raised by the protesters,” he said. “Balochistan was plagued with terrorism for the last two decades, and particularly in the last two months, terrorism had risen in the country,” he added

“In some recent incidents, 15 people were burnt on the coastal highway in Balochistan. Labourers were martyred at a police station in Turbat while the Hazara community was targeted in the past,” he said, adding that not much voice was raised by the civil society about those incidents.

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He expressed concern over the lack of support from political and civil organisations for the martyrs of law-enforcement agencies. However, he stressed that religious and ethnic-inspired violence could not be given acceptability,” he said.
The prime minister emphasised that only the state had the right to use force to protect unarmed civilians. “If we demoralise our security forces, how could we fight the war against terrorism,” he posed a question.

Regarding the situation in Gaza, Kakar said that there was no doubt that Israel was an illegal entity and there was no suggestion under consideration to recognise the Jewish state. He said Pakistan wanted to send relief to Palestinians and raise voice at the international forums for the rights of Palestinians.