Pakistan's PM Kakar says general elections can take place without Imran Khan, PTI reacts

As Pakistan heads closer to conducting general elections, country’s Caretaker PM Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said that the conflict-stricken country can hold “free and fair polls” without former PM Imran Khan, Geo News reported. The head of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is currently serving a three-year sentence in Attock jail in the Toshakhana corruption case.

Amid the ongoing economic crisis, the tussle between the cricketer-turned-politician and Pakistan’s ruling regime has contributed to the political turmoil that has engulfed the country. Last week, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced that the country will hold the highly anticipated general election by the end of January 2024.

“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,” the Pakistani interim PM said in an interview on Friday, Geo News reported. On May 9, a riots-like situation broke out in Pakistan following the arrest of Khan in the Al-Qadir Trust case. During the protest, the miscreants targeted multiple Pakistani civil and military installations. “Thousands of PTI activists who did not engage in unlawful activities can partake in the upcoming elections,” he added. 

Kakar calls claims of military involvement in the election ‘absurd’ 

Kakar went on to dismiss the claims that the Pakistani military will attempt to “manipulate” the upcoming elections. “The ECP is going to conduct the elections, not the military,” he exclaimed. “I think it is absolutely absurd,” he added.

Meanwhile, Khan’s party strongly reacted to the caretaker PM’s recent proclamation insisting that polls sans Khan would be “unconstitutional”. "The general elections without the PTI or Imran Khan will be unconstitutional and unethical,” a spokesperson of the former ruling party told the Pakistani news outlet. He noted that PTI is the largest political party and Khan is the most popular leader in the country. Taking jabs at the interim premier, the party spokesperson insisted that Kakar should separate his government from the "evil designs".