By-polls outcome cleared doubts about Feb 8 elections: Tarar

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said on Tuesday that voters during the recent by-elections had rejected the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s narrative of hatred, hypocrisy and lies.

Addressing a press conference along with Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar here, he said much hue and cry was made about so-called rigging in the by-elections but even a single proof could not be presented by the PTI leadership. The outcome of by-elections also cleared doubts about the February 8 general elections created by a certain political party.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz swept the by-elections as the masses voted for it on account of Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s economic reforms.

The minister remarked that people of Pakistan had buried the PTI’s narrative based on violence, duplicity and lies as not PMLN voters but other people also voted for the N-League due to its pro-people policies and track record of servicing the masses. Regarding Bushra Bibi’s health, he said funny things were being shared on social media, though all her medical tests were clear. He said that due to the efforts of the government, the country was moving towards progress and development.

Attaullah Tarar said the minister for law and justice had shed light on the missing persons issue in detail. The minister said that the families of martyrs who were victims of terrorist attacks had many reservations in this regard.

He recalled that in 2022, Iman Mazari had mentioned the name of one Naeem Rehmat as a missing person who was serving a life sentence in Landhi Jail in connection with a drug case in 2019. He said that in 2011, the Supreme Court formed an inquiry commission about missing persons, which sorted out 7,900 cases out of 10,023 cases and now 23 percent of the cases were pending.

He said a cabinet committee had been constituted on the issue and it would present proposals for solution of the matter. The government had the intention to solve this problem, he said, adding that the previous government also worked on it.

He said that names in the Exit Control List (ECL) were added and removed on the recommendations of the Interior Division as per procedure.