No possibility of postponing elections in Pakistan, says Caretaker Information Minister

Islamabad [Pakistan], January 3 : Pakistan's caretaker minister for parliamentary affairs, information, and broadcasting, Murtaza Solangi, ruled out the possibility that the elections, which are set for February 8 this year, would be postponed, according to ARY News.

He restated the date of the country's general elections for February 8, 2024, while expressing confidence in the capacity of law enforcement to face any obstacle.

He said that the caretaker administration would support the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to the fullest extent possible so that the nation may have fair, transparent, and peaceful elections.

"There is no possibility of postponing the elections, nor is there any challenge that will affect them," the caretaker minister said, according to ARY News.

The minister denied that Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, Pakistan's caretaker prime minister, had said anything contentious in his most recent media appearance. Rather, he made reference to those who provide assistance to terrorist groups.

In response to a follow-up question on Baloch protesters, he stated that no force was applied to the Balochstani demonstrators; they chose to sit in front of the Islamabad Press Club.

He said that the prime minister's negotiation group had extremely amicable meetings with them. The minister said that although they had promised to deliver the committee a list of its requests, it was still pending.

According to him, all of the demonstrators who were women and children were let free on the first day of talks. A day later, 163 more individuals were set free, and the final 34 people were also set free, ARY News reported.

He emphasised that none of the demonstrators were in police custody at the moment and that they ought to be questioned about why their demands were not forwarded to the committee.

"There is no restriction on politics in the country since everyone has the right to do politics," he said.

Meanwhile, the members of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, the organisers of the ongoing Baloch movement, have raised their voice against the persistant harassment by the Islamabad Police and administration while expressing their determination to continue with their protest.

The committee's social media post reads, "The Islamabad police and administration are continuously harassing us. We will continue our peaceful protest and request that the international media and institutions to convey our voice to the world."

Urging international community to listen to their plight, the committtee said, "Show the oppression of this state to the world; demonstrate that the Baloch people are being subjected to genocide, and we are not even given the right to peacefully protest against these oppressions and genocide."

Despite facing oppression, the committee declared their commitment to a peaceful protest, urging international media and institutions to amplify their plight. Accusations of genocide and denial of the right to peaceful protest were emphasised.

This declaration comes amidst an ongoing peaceful protest by the Baloch community, which has been encamped outside the National Press Club in Islamabad for over a week. The protestors, organised by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, demand an end to enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan.

The situation intensified when the government, according to the committee, attempted to label their long march and sit-in as mere "propaganda."

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