By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, an independent watchdog, on Monday criticised the caretaker government for suggesting that the country could hold fair elections without the participation of Imran Khan, the jailed leader of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
Khan, the former prime minister, was arrested on August 5 after being convicted in a separate case of illegally selling luxury gifts from foreign leaders when he was in power from 2018 to 2022.
He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but the Islamabad High Court suspended his sentence on August 29 pending an appeal.
However, Khan remained in custody in connection with another case, known as the cipher case, in which he is accused of disclosing classified information at a public meeting.
Khan is also facing a separate treason case for allegedly inciting violence against the powerful military after being arrested in a graft case in May. He is currently on judicial remand and his party has accused the authorities of trying to keep him out of the electoral race.
In an interview with The Associated Press published on Saturday, the interim Prime Minister, Anwaarul Haq Kakar, said that Khan and his party workers, who were detained in a crackdown after the riots, were not essential for ensuring a fair vote.
The premier added that fair elections can take place without Khan or hundreds of members of his party who are jailed because they engaged in unlawful activities including vandalism and arson, a reference to the violence that rocked the country following Khan’s initial arrest in May.
“Thousands of PTI members, who are not involved in unlawful activities, will be running the political process and participating in the elections,” Kakar said, referring to Khan’s party by its initials.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said in a statement that Kakar’s remarks were “anti-democratic and ill-judged” and that he had no authority to decide what constituted a fair election.
“The prime minister should be aware that it is not for him or his government to decide unilaterally what constitutes a ‘fair’ election,” the commission said. “The systematic way in which the PTI leadership has been dismantled … has not produced a level playing field.”
The commission urged the caretaker government to refrain from making partisan statements and to create an environment conducive to free, fair and inclusive elections.
Pakistan is scheduled to hold general elections in January 2024, after the previous parliament completed its five-year term in August. The Election Commission of Pakistan, which is responsible for conducting the polls, announced the date last week, ending months of uncertainty and speculation.
Elections in the politically and economically troubled South Asian nation were due to be held in November but were delayed due to fresh demarcation of constituencies under a new census.
The country is currently being run by a caretaker government under Kakar that is meant to oversee a general election. Some independent observers suggest there is de facto military rule in the country.
The election commission has already questioned the impartiality of the caretaker government led by Kakar, who comes from a pro-military party, saying it appears to be aligned with the opponents of Khan.
The powerful military has ruled the country for over three decades of its 76-year history and wield enormous influence in politics, including making and breaking civilian governments.
PM Kakar dismissed the possibility that the country’s powerful military would manipulate the results to ensure that Khan’s party doesn’t win as “absolutely absurd.”
“The Election Commission is going to conduct the vote, not the military, and Imran Khan appointed the commission’s current chief, so why would he turn in any sense of the word against him?”
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