Ashrafi proposes for holding federal, provincial elections simultaneously

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Interfaith Harmony and Middle East Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi on Wednesday proposed to hold the federal and provincial elections simultaneously in the country.

Addressing a press conference here, he said free, fair ad transparent elections were not possible until and unless all religious and political parties put their heads together and decide a time frame for holding the elections with mutual understanding in the country.

Ashrafi who is also the chairman of Pakistan Ulema Council seconded the idea of civil society organizations to conduct an ‘all parties conference’ to get the country out of prevailing political instability and ailing economic conditions. He said we must bring change in our attitudes as it was causing polarization in every segment of the society particularly in the young generation.

He said the leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) should hold dialogues in a bid to avert political and economic crisis in the country adding that Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif had offered for talks on many times and recently repeated the same on the floor of upper house of parliament.

On the advent of holy month of Ramazan, Ashrafi said all stakeholders as a good will gesture should play their constructive role in order to bridge the gap between the government and disgruntle political party.

He said it would help ease the burgeoning political tension and create an enabling environment to take the country on the road to progress and prosperity. He further condemned former United States Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad’s unsolicited advices on the current political situation of Pakistan.

He said Zalmay had no right to poke his nose in the internal affairs of Pakistan proposing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to declare Zalmay as ‘persona non grata’ on the basis of his indecent statements regarding Pakistan.

He said the present political deadlock was internal matter of Pakistan expressing the hope that the religious and political parties would resolve them amicably. He made it clear that no compromise would be made on the external intervention into the internal affairs of Pakistan at all costs. (APP)