{"id":32736,"date":"2023-12-07T23:01:05","date_gmt":"2023-12-07T23:01:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/situation-not-bad-enough-to-hamper-elections-on-feb-8-information-minister\/"},"modified":"2023-12-07T23:01:05","modified_gmt":"2023-12-07T23:01:05","slug":"situation-not-bad-enough-to-hamper-elections-on-feb-8-information-minister","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/situation-not-bad-enough-to-hamper-elections-on-feb-8-information-minister\/","title":{"rendered":"Situation not bad enough to hamper elections on Feb 8: information minister"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi on Thursday said the law and order situation in the country thus far was not bad enough to hamper polls on February 8 as he stressed the federal cabinet had no \u201cdoubt, worry or second thoughts\u201d about holding the upcoming general elections.<\/p>\n

His statement comes amid concerns raised by Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, first over the polls coinciding with winter<\/a> and then over the security situation<\/a> in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.<\/p>\n

However, the PPP has questioned<\/a> the JUI-F\u2019s reservations, with Senator Raza Rabbani saying that the country\u2019s \u201cinternal security situation cannot be an excuse\u201d to delay the polls.<\/p>\n

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has sought the deployment<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

Today, speaking to Geo News<\/em> programme Geo Pakistan<\/em>, Solangi said: \u201cThe federal cabinet does not have any doubt, worry or second thought that we would not hold elections on February 8.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a date has been finalised now, no one should have any doubt.\u201d He further said that all needs of the ECP were being fulfilled.<\/p>\n

When asked if there was ever consideration of extending the current caretaker setup, the minister responded: \u201cThere definitely was such a thought, but not among us.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis [thought] was the creation of those people whose minds are very resourceful; those who make such grand assumptions, and when those [assumptions] collapse, they make [up] others,\u201d Solangi added.<\/p>\n

The information minister said he \u201cdid not hear any such statement from anyone in the federal cabinet or important state institutions\u201d about wanting a delay in the elections due to the economy being set on the correct course.<\/p>\n

When asked how he would ensure that the security situation was kept under control in areas considered highly sensitive, Solangi said security issues remain during every election.<\/p>\n

Calling the security concerns in Balochistan and KP \u201creal issues\u201d, the minister said the country had held elections in worse circumstances.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur memory is a bit weak. What was the law and order situation during the elections of 2008 and 2013? If we compare that, this is nothing,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I cannot say what the conditions will be like tomorrow, but the situation thus far is not bad enough to cause us problems in conducting elections,\u201d Solangi added.<\/p>\n

Referring to the concerns raised by JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, he noted that the politician had first cited winters as the reason and recalled that the polls of 1970 were even held in December<\/p>\n

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