PPP wants timely, free and fair elections, says Faisal Kundi
Pakistan
Urges CEC Raja to remove reservations of all political groups
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Pakistan Peoples Party does not want any excuses for delay in the upcoming general elections and will accept the decision of the electorate on Feb 8 next year, party’s spokesperson Faisal Karim Kundi stated Thursday.
During a press conference in Islamabad, Kundi urged Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja to remove the reservations of all political parties and ensure provision of level-playing field for the next general elections.
Kundi mentioned that Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) President Asif Ali Zardari had categorically stated that transparent and timely polls were the only solution to get rid of all the challenges facing the country.
“Our [PPP’s] stance on general polls is very clear. The ECP must conduct timely, free and fair elections in the country,” he said.
He also mentioned that a delegation of the PPP had already met the CEC and apprised him about its reservations. “The CEC had assured that there would be no delay in the elections,” he recalled.
Kunid said that the masses would not accept any government unless free and fair elections were ensured. “If the selection process is adopted this time, the nation will not accept it because now the majority of population is comprised of young people who will not accept a ‘selected’ government.”
Kundi also pointed out that the credibility of parliament would be nothing if free, fair and transparent elections were not conducted. “Decision should be left to the people.”
About the rumours regarding the ban on social media during elections, he said the PPP would fully oppose such a restriction, adding that the ECP ought to address this issue as well.
While condemning the Dera Ismail Khan suicide attack that resulted in the martyrdom of 23 soldiers, Kundi noted that the country was facing critical law and order situation, especially in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
“PPP has always talked about the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) in letter and spirit to root out the terrorism from the country,” he added.
Kundi expressed concern over the uptick in terrorism in Pakistan, noting that terrorist attacks were occurring at a depressing regularity.
About the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto ‘judicial murder’ reference recently been taken up by the Supreme Court, Kundi said the PPP believed that justice must be served to the late former prime minister and PPP founder. He also called for punishing those responsible for ZAB’s ‘judicial murder’.
Speaking about PPP’s election campaign, the spokesperson said that party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was addressing workers' conventions across the country. He added that Bilawal addressed a women workers’ convention in Peshawar on Wednesday.
Criticising the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Kundi labeled PML-N’s politics as “drawing-room politics”. He questioned why a party that considered itself a major player in the country was running away from elections.
Kundi said the PPP had always pointed out that the accountability watchdog, National Accountability Bureau, was being used for political revenge. He mentioned that there was a time when the NAB was aggressively pursuing cases against Nawaz Sharif, but now these cases were being dropped one after another.
He asserted that whether the NAB had been wrong in the past or was wrong today, it should be explained to the people. “NAB is not someone's estate. It is an institution.”
Faisal Kundi said that law and order, economy, inflation and unemployment were the key challenges being faced by Pakistan, affirming that the PPP had the solution to all these issues.
