The caretaker government on Tuesday said under the constitution and prevalent electoral laws, all political parties had the equal right to participate in the general elections. He\u00a0categorically stated that the remarks of the caretaker prime minister during a recent interview to foreign media had been \u201cmisunderstood and misreported\u201d. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in its official statement issued the original text from national news agency to clarify that Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar was plain speaking to suggest that whereas participating in the elections was a right, but retribution for crimes was legally warranted. The ministry lamented that the interview had been \u201ctwisted by some outlets\u201d to give the impression that someone will not be allowed to take part in the general elections. The ministry drew attention to the following text of Prime Minister\u2019s interview: \u201cWe are not pursuing anyone on a personal vendetta,\u201d Kakar said. \u201cBut yes, we will ensure that the law is appropriate. Anyone, be it Imran Khan or any other politician who violates, in terms of their political behavior, the laws of the country, then the restoration of the law has to be ensured. We cannot equate that with \u2026 political discrimination.\u201d Kakar said 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\u2019s initial arrest in May. The caretaker prime minister added that the thousands of people in Khan\u2019s party who didn\u2019t engage in unlawful activities, \u201cwill be running the political process, they will be participating in the elections.\u201d The Information Ministry reiterated in its statement that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its leaders are free to participate in the elections like any other party. It has been clarified that there is no impediment to contesting elections by any leader of PTI or the party as a whole. The statement further added that every citizen is equal before law and the law will take its course with respect to any person currently facing legal charges. The courts are free and independent and the caretaker government has neither authority nor intention to influence the courts at any level. It was further clarified that any person aggrieved by any order or ruling of a statutory or judicial forum has a constitutionally guaranteed right to approach the next forum in judicial hierarchy for relief. \u201cThe caretaker government is committed to holding free and fair elections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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