Fair polls responsibility of ECP, interim govt: JI leader

BARA: Jamaat-i-Islami leader and Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan has said that it is the responsibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the caretaker government to conduct the elections at the right time.

Addressing a workers’ convention in Speen Qabar area in Bara tehsil, Senator Mushtaq Ahmad said that Muslims around the world had been facing a host of problems. He said that they had moved a resolution seeking the conduct of the general elections on time.

The senator added that the resolution demanded free and fair elections to be held on February 8, providing all parties with a level playing field.

Mushtaq Ahmad maintained that the people had been burdened with different taxes, and they could not afford to pay extra taxes. He expressed concern over the government’s attitude, and said that Pakistan Television and YouTube did not telecast his speech to the public.

“We want to stop the forced kidnapping and disappearance of people and judicial killings forthwith,” he demanded, saying that missing persons should be presented in courts. He demanded the government to release PTM leader Manzoor Pashteen as soon as possible.

Mushtaq Ahmad Khan stated that the government should stop operations in merged districts and declare the tribal areas a free zone.

“Pakistan is not just a few people; it is about 250 million people who are leading a miserable life due to exploitation by those ‘few people’,” he added.

JI Ameer for Khyber district and candidate for NA-27 Shah Faisal Afridi, PK-70 candidate Qazi Momin Afridi, PK-71 candidate Khan Wali Afridi, and others also spoke on the occasion.