Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar has maintained the conduct of free and fair elections does not require Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan to be in the field, stressing that the former prime minister and his supporters are incarcerated due to “unlawful activities” of May 9.
“Free and fair elections can take place without [Imran] Khan or hundreds of members of his party who are jailed because they engaged in unlawful activities including vandalism and arson,” he told the Associated Press in an interview conducted on Friday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly summit in New York. “Thousands of PTI activists who did not engage in unlawful activities can partake in the upcoming elections,” he added.
The May 9 riots, triggered by the arrest of Khan is the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case, saw leaders and supporters of the PTI vandalizing and ransacking civil and military assets nationwide, particularly in Punjab, where the Lahore Corps Commander’s House was razed. Subsequently, the military had declared May 9 a “black day,” and vowed that all culprits would be prosecuted under all relevant laws, including the Army Act.
Reportedly, over 100 PTI workers are facing military trials, while the rest are facing criminal cases before the judiciary.
During his interview with the AP, Kakar was asked if the military intended to manipulate the upcoming general elections to ensure the PTI does not return to power. “I think it is absolutely absurd,” responded the interim prime minister. “The ECP is going to conduct the elections, not the military,” he clarified, adding the incumbent caretaker government would monitor and support the electoral process.
He further recalled that Imran Khan appointed incumbent Chief Election Commissioner Sikarnder Sultan Raja while he was prime minister, adding: “Why would he turn, in any sense of the word, against him?”
To another query, Kakar said the interim government was not pursuing any personal vendetta. However, he stressed, any politician who violated rules and regulations would be dealt with according to law. “We cannot equate that with … political discrimination,” he added.
Responding to a question on whether he would recommend the judiciary overturn Khan’s conviction to enable the PTI chief to contest elections, the interim prime minister said he would not interfere with any judicial decisions. The judiciary, he stressed, should not be used “as a tool for any political” aims.
To a question on PTI allegations pertaining to “threats to democracy” and “de facto military rule,” Kakar said such claims were a routine matter in Pakistan’s political culture. He said his government’s working relationship with the military was “very smooth” and “very open and candid.” Acknowledging some “challenges” of the civil-military relationship, he said there were various reasons for this imbalance. To resolve these, he said, required gradually improving the performance of civilian institutions “rather than weakening the current military organization.”
Polls without Khan ‘unacceptable’
In a statement reacting to Kakar’s interview, the PTI claimed general elections without the party or Imran Khan would be “unacceptable, unconstitutional and unethical.” Maintaining the PTI was Pakistan’s largest political party and Khan its “most popular” leader, it demanded the interim prime minister clarify his remarks, adding the people would not accept elections without Khan.
The statement also called on the interim prime minister to separate his government from “evil designs.”
Despite the PTI’s statement, Khan is currently unable to contest elections, as he remains disqualified from holding public office for five years following his conviction in the Toshakhana case. Last month, a trial court judge sentenced the PTI chief to three years’ incarceration and a fine of Rs. 100,000 in the case. The Islamabad High Court, earlier this month, suspended the sentence but retained the conviction, preventing Khan from contesting polls. The PTI chief is appealing the verdict, maintaining he did not violate any laws.