Will not probe alleged rigging in elections on any country’s demand: PM Kakar

ISLAMABAD:

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar has said that the government will not probe the allegations of rigging in the elections under any foreign pressure.

Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Kakar said that “the European Union, Britain and America are our friends but they have no right to meddle in our domestic affairs.”

He said that these countries based their opinions on the rumours spread on social media, and asked, “When the Capitol Hill was stormed, did we demand a judicial commission to inquire into it? We will investigate the allegations of rigging in the elections according to our own laws if needed.”

He said that he appreciated the efforts of all the institutions, including the security forces, for ensuring peaceful elections, and added that the continuation of the democratic process was commendable. He said that conducting peaceful elections despite the extraordinary challenges was a great achievement.

He said that Pakistan still faced the threat of terrorism, and that Pakistan was a strong and responsible country in terms of defense.

Anwarul Haq Kakar said that peaceful protest was a constitutional right of everyone, but violence would not be tolerated at any cost. He said that election results were a matter of fact, and that the accuracy of the results should not be judged by their speed. He said that there might be some irregularities in the results at some places, but delay in the results did not imply rigging.

Anwarul Haq Kakar said that the accusations of making Pakistan a scapegoat were utterly baseless, and that we would not compromise on the lives of our citizens.

He clarified that there was no pressure on them regarding the election, and that internet facility was available across the country through broadband.

The Prime Minister said that earlier 35 punctures were alleged, and then it was said that it was a political statement. He said that a judicial commission was formed on the issue at that time, and asked, “What was the outcome?”

The Prime Minister said that the elections were over, and that now whoever had to form the government should do so.

Regarding the electronic voting machine, he said that the decision to conduct polling through EVM would be made by the next parliament.

Anwarul Haq Kakar further said that the new elected government would decide on the new program with the international financial institutions, and that the IMF had no issue with our homegrown program.

He said that we had to examine our actions honestly, and that it was not possible that whatever suited us was lawful and otherwise it was unlawful. He said that our problem was that we believed every good and bad news without verification.

He further said that delay in elections was acceptable, but terrorism was not.