Azam Nazir Tarar, Pakistan’s Federal Law Minister, recently spoke to the media in Islamabad and shared his opinions on the upcoming elections in the nation. Without a caretaker administration, he claimed, concerns about the fairness of the elections would be raised. He insisted that the elections should be held using the new digital census and constituencies.
Tarar emphasised the opposition to the elections voiced by the Finance, Interior, and Defense Ministries. He emphasised that even in the absence of agreement between the government and the opposition, caretaker governments were required by Article 224 of the Pakistani Constitution.
The law minister also drew attention to the current political structure in the provinces, noting that while Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) had caretaker governments, the Centre, Sindh, and Balochistan had political governments. He questioned how impartial general elections in October could be held given that two provinces already had elected governments.
Tarar also questioned the judiciary’s decision to take the suo motu notice in this case, claiming it was rash and uncalled for. In accordance with Article 218(3) of the Constitution, he urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to ensure free and transparent elections.
The law minister emphasised the importance of elections during caretaker administrations, saying that they would accept the results even if Imran Khan, the leader of the PTI, won a majority. Imran Khan’s readiness to accept a negative poll result was another thing he questioned.
In his subsequent remarks on the judiciary, Tarar criticised Imran Khan’s conduct in his own cases and demanded that institution leaders be held accountable. He asserted that Imran Khan has not responded to notices that have been sent to him by the Islamabad court for the previous three months.
Finally, the law minister argued that some institutions have been used to imprison politicians and that the judiciary’s survival is crucial to Pakistan. He questioned why Nawaz Sharif, a former prime minister, was forced out of office and why he kept showing up to court hearings even though his wife was ill.
In order to ensure impartiality, Tarar emphasised the need for a caretaker government and urged transparency and fairness in the upcoming elections. He urged all citizens to scrutinise the choices made and demand that institution leaders be held accountable.
