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Pakistan's Interim Interior Minister Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti on Tuesday said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would be given full security needed to hold the upcoming general elections in a peaceful environment, Dawn newspaper reported.
Dawn is a Pakistani English-language newspaper. General elections in Pakistan are scheduled for February 8. The ECP on Monday sought the deployment of the army and civil armed forces outside polling stations for the elections to meet the shortfall of over 277,000 police personnel across the country. Speaking with Dunya News show Nukta Nazar, the interior minister assured that the caretaker government would take the necessary measures to provide all required facilities to the ECP for transparently conducting the general elections, as per Dawn. He said: "Political parties should cooperate with law enforcement agencies (LEAs), before arranging any public meeting or corner meeting for election campaign." Bugti said timely information about public gatherings or meetings would help security institutions make better arrangements for them. Commenting on the rising terrorism incidents in different parts of the country, he said LEAs are "fully" alert to control the menace of terrorism. He said the country's enemies are trying to sabotage the peaceful environment of Pakistan. Bugti said security institutions are taking all possible steps to defeat terrorism in a "befitting manner". Recently, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari (PPP) urged Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif to contest elections based "on an ideology" and not with "the help of administration." Addressing a press conference in Quetta, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said, "Mian Sahib, respect the vote, don't disrespect the vote." He made the statement when asked a question about PML-N supremo. He said some people have a "misconception that political winds are in their favour." He added that Raiwind is "attempting unsuccessfully to change the direction of the winds in its favour". Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said, "We [PPP] are trying to be the ladlas of the public. We believe people change the direction of winds. Everyone has to accept people's mandate when they make a decision." (ANI)
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