<\/p>\n
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Wednesday said that the media in Pakistan was \u201cfreer\u201d than in the West, saying that latter was under \u201cstricter regulations\u201d.<\/p>\n
The premier made the remarks in an interview<\/a> with CNBC<\/em> on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum. During the interview, Kakar talked about the economic outlook for the country, the upcoming election and charges against ex-premier Imran Khan.<\/p>\n Asked about concerns regarding the upcoming elections being \u201crigged\u201d, the premier said critics should first let the polls take place after which the conduct could be questioned.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst they said, we are not going to have elections. Now, when we are having an election, they are saying, \u2018Oh, it is one of the most rigged elections in the history\u2019,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The prime minister said that there would be international observers<\/a> as well as foreign and domestic media reporting on the polls. \u201cLet them then report and decide, whether it was rigged or not that rigged,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Asked whether the media was free and fair in Pakistan, the premier said, \u201cI think so even freer than the Western media. If you do the comparison, the Western media is probably under more stricter regulations than the media in Pakistan.\u201d<\/p>\n Commenting further on the topic of elections, Kakar said that hopefully on February 8, the people of the country would exercise their right to vote. He termed the holding of polls a \u201cconstitutional requirement\u201d, saying that \u201ceveryone was committed to that date\u201d.<\/p>\n Asked about the \u201cfreeness and the fairness\u201d of polls after the arrest<\/a> of Imran and the party being stripped<\/a> of its electoral symbols, PM Kakar said the two terms were \u201calways [a] subjective matter\u201d.<\/p>\n Imran Khan<\/h2>\n