Naeem welcomes announcement of general elections date

Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Thursday welcomed the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) announcement of the date of holding the general elections in the country, and stressed the need for transparency.

Talking to the media at the JI’s city headquarters Idara Noor-e-Haq, he said that in principle the polls should have been held during the first 90 days after the dissolution of the National Assembly.

However, he added, it is a good sign that the elections are going to be held. He reminded the ECP of their responsibility to ensure that the polls are held on the date announced and with complete transparency.

The important question is, he wondered, if the ECP and the caretaker government are sincere in holding free and fair elections or if another RTS (result transmission system) is ready to collapse.

He highlighted the issue of “flawed” voter lists and “flawed” census results. Had the census been conducted properly, the NA seats in the city would have been increased from 22 to 32, and the provincial assembly seats from 47 to 65, while the same goes for the Senate, he pointed out.