By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: President Arif Alvi on Wednesday raised the concerns of his party over the pre-poll environment in the country, saying that the caretaker government should ensure a level playing field for all political parties and protect the fundamental rights of the citizens in the run-up to the general elections, scheduled in February.
In a letter to the interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar, President Alvi, who belongs to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, conveyed his party’s “concern on the erosion of fundamental rights, with particular reference to enforced disappearances, forced conversions of political loyalties, absence of level playing field for major political parties, crackdown on media and mistreatment of female political activists through prolonged illegal detentions,” the president’s office said in a statement.
The PTI, led by the charismatic former cricket star Imran Khan, alleges that the cases against its jailed leader and supporters are politically motivated and designed to keep the party from participating in the upcoming general elections.
Khan has alleged that his aides are being forced out of the PTI under duress by the powerful military establishment, once his astonishing ally, in a maneuver to dismantle his party before elections and pave the way for his rival Nawaz Sharif’s party to come to power.
A widening crackdown against the PTI after nationwide protests on May 9 has led political experts and analysts to raise questions about the credibility of the upcoming elections.
The PTI is not the only party complaining about a level playing field leading up to the polls. The rivalry between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has gained momentum as the latter has alleged that the PML-N has a hidden alliance with the current caretaker government.
The PPP, which ruled the country from 2008 to 2013, also recently announced that it was open to forming an electoral alliance with the PTI to counter the party of disqualified Sharif.
Earlier this month, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and President Alvi had agreed on February 8, 2024 as the date for general elections — an announcement that has stirred activity in the camps of major political parties.
“In his letter, the President stated that it was of utmost importance that the caretaker government under the Prime Minister’s leadership made efforts as a neutral entity to provide a level playing field for all political parties,” a statement by the president’s account on social media platform X read.
“In this context, it was reassuring to hear your recent statements whereby you stated that it was the caretaker government’s policy that all registered political parties should have equal rights and opportunities to contest the forthcoming elections.”
The President wrote that he expected the Prime Minister to take notice of these issues and take appropriate measures to ensure that the pre-poll environment was conducive for free and fair elections.
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