F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: Rioters will face the music, caretaker Prime Minister Anwar Haq Kakar said on Monday.
“Anyone, who has a complaint, should approach the forum concerned,” he said while addressing a press conference
He added: “Delay doesn’t not mean rigging. There was some delay due to the mobile shutdown, it can’t be called rigging.
“During the election, public security was the top priority.
“The results were declared within 36 hours. In 2018, the election results were declared in 66 hours.
“The Internet has not been shut down anywhere in the country
The prime minister cited the examples of delay in declaring the election in Sweden and Indonesia and said “We are a country of 240 million with 92,000 polling stations. The entire process had to consume time, which should and can be explained.
In an interview two days after the February 8 election, he said his government’s responsibility was to ensure security and terrorist strikes in Balochistan reminded the people of the real-time threat.
“The government always has more responsibility when it comes to security.”
To a question about the suspension of mobile services, he said that to face the security challenge, they had to block the communication channels; otherwise, they did not have any political motive whatsoever.
“It was only mobile services that were suspended while the internet service was available.”
He said he did not think that this suspension had hindered the huge democratic exercise. “The results showed that it was, by and large, a free and fair exercise.”
The caretaker prime minister said that even though people went out and peacefully exercised their right to vote, for the time being, he didn’t have figures as to how many people had voted.
“Two provinces were badly hit by terrorist attacks, and if it was kept in mind, people came out and bravely voted for their candidates, which was not usual but rather quite unusual.
“The people of Pakistan are quite brave; they came out and voted.” To a query regarding the change in previous governments, he said there were perceptions and realities, and in the last two decades, the change in governments, like in post-2002, happened on the floor of the parliament.
“The vote of no confidence against the previous PTI’s government was passed on the floor of the house with 179 votes. “So how can anyone call it an undemocratic exercise and intervention from outside forces?
“Even when Imran Khan was elected, people called it a product of a so-called selection process. But the reality was that he (Imran Khan) was elected with the support of 179 members of parliament.”
