ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar has said elections can be held if anyone, be it Imran Khan or any other politician, is disqualified for violating the laws of the country.
In an interview with an American news agency, Kakar said fair elections can take place without Khan or hundreds of members of his party who are jailed in connection with the May 9 vandalism.
Thousands of people belonging to the PTI who were not involved in the arson attacks will be participating in the elections, he added. But he added that it’s the Election Commission that is going to conduct the vote, and Khan appointed the commission’s chief during his tenure, so “why would he turn in any sense of the word against him?”
Mr Kakar expressed the hope that the elections will be held in January 2024, adding allegations that the military would interfere in the electoral process to rig it were baseless. He said that it was the responsibility of the Election Commission to hold free and fair polls, and the government would extend all out support to it.
Asked if he would recommend judges overturn Khan’s conviction so he could run in the elections, the caretaker prime minister said he wouldn’t interfere with decisions by the judiciary, adding judiciary should not be used “as a tool for any political ends.”
“We are not pursuing anyone on a personal vendetta,” Kakar said. “But yes, we will ensure that the law is appropriate. Anyone, be it Imran Khan or any other politician who violates, in terms of their political behavior, the laws of the country, then the restoration of the law has to be ensured. We cannot equate that with … political discrimination.”
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