Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Law Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar has dispelled rumours and assured that the general elections will be held on time.
Speaking to Canadian High Commissioner Ms Leslie Scanlon here, he said that strengthening democracy was the top priority of the government.
It may be noted that the country is abuzz with rumours that terms of National, Sindh and Balochistan assemblies will be extended beyond Aug12.
Tarar told the Canadian high commissioner that the Army Act and the laws made under it guaranteed the rights of any accused. He expressed concern over growing incidents of Islamophobia in the world, referring to the Sweden incident where a copy of the Holy Quran was desecrated.
He said the government had decided to participate in protest demonstrations against the incident to convey its message to the world and to bring the situation under control.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) clarified on Thursday that it had disallowed international observers to monitor the polls in the country.
European Union Election Observer Mission head Michael Gahler had recently said it had not yet received any invitation to monitor elections in Pakistan and expressed apprehensions that polls would be held on time.
“The ECP, traditionally and as per its mandate, has always welcomed both national and international observers to observe the process of elections to ensure electoral transparency,” a spokesperson for the ECP said in a statement.
“The organisation has worked dedicatedly on framing a comprehensive code of conduct for international observers this year and it will be looking forward to all observation missions for upcoming General Elections. As per SOPs, the invitations for international observers will be commenced by mid of August 2023.
The ECP shall float internatio-nal invites through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) (u/s 238 of the Elections Act, 2017); once the date of the General Elections is announced,” the statement concluded.
