ISLAMABAD: Minister for Power Division Khurram Dastgir announced on Tuesday that all efforts were being made to ensure that the 2023 general elections in Pakistan are free, fair, and transparent without unconstitutional interference.
Speaking at a press conference, the minister said this year’s elections should represent public opinion and not be manipulated as they were in 2018.
The parliament’s joint sitting had passed a resolution stating that elections of Provincial and National assemblies should be held simultaneously across the country. The Senate’s resolution reflected the reservations held by smaller provinces, not condoning the plan to hold elections piecemeal.
The minister stressed the need for simultaneous conduct of elections in all provinces of the country under caretaker setups for transparency and to take the country towards stability.
Khurram appealed to the Supreme Court to bring transparency to its affairs and constitute a full court to address the constitutional crisis through collective wisdom. The use of local coal for power generation would bring down the prices of electricity, and bidding for the first mega solar project would be opened on May 7.
The minister also commented on the power supply situation, stating that it would be far better during the summer due to better management, and around 2,000 MW of electricity had been added to the system in the last 11 months from local Thar coal.
He further added that despite the financial crisis, the incumbent government repaid a $10 billion loan in one year.
In response to a question, the minister stated that the 2018 elections were manipulated, and the entire nation was facing its consequences in the form of an economic crisis, including a shortage of wheat, sugar, and fertilisers.
The country’s total debt stood at over Rs51,000 billion, and a 90 percent increase was witnessed in the debt and liabilities of the country during the tenure of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), he claimed.
