ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday allowed the country’s federal and provincial caretaker setup to take appropriate steps related to various international agreements to ensure their smooth implementation, said a notification.
Pakistan appointed the caretaker administration of Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar at the federal level earlier this month after the dissolution of the lower house of parliament ahead of the next general elections.
According to the constitution, the national and provincial interim setup is required to supervise free and fair elections within 90 days following the dissolution of national and provincial assemblies.
However, their tenure is expected to go well beyond the stipulated period after the ECP said in a recent notification that it plans to redraw federal and provincial constituencies by December 14 before announcing the election schedule.
“The Care-Taker Governments being non-political entities can take actions or decisions regarding existing bilateral or multilateral agreements or the projects already initiated under the Public Private Partnership Authority Act, 2017 (VIII of 2017), the Inter-Governmental Commercial Transactions Act, 2022 (XXX of 2022) and the Privatization Commission Ordinance, 2000 (LII of 2000) under intimation to this Commission,” the ECP notification said.
It reiterated that the federal or provincial caretaker governments must not do anything to influence or adversely impact the free, fair and transparent conduct of the upcoming elections.
The ECP had already issued a comprehensive code of conduct for the interim administrations of the country, reminding them that their mandate was to manage day-to-day matters to run the affairs of the federation and provinces in accordance with law.
It strictly prevented them from announcing new development schemes while announcing that all funds for such projects “shall stand frozen” until the notification of election results.
Pakistan’s election body allows interim setup to take suitable actions related to foreign agreements
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Pakistan’s election body allows interim setup to take suitable actions related to foreign agreements
- The federal and provincial caretaker governments are required to facilitate free and fair polls within 90 days
- Their tenure is likely to exceed the stipulated period since the ECP is redrawing hundreds of constituencies
Pakistan says 641 Afghan Taliban members killed, over 855 injured in ongoing conflict
- Both neighbors have been engaged in fierce fighting since Feb. 26 after Afghan forces launched retaliatory attacks against Pakistan
- Pakistan information minister says 243 Afghanistan checkposts destroyed, 65 “terrorists and terror support locations” targeted by air
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has killed at least 641 Afghan Taliban operatives and injured more than 855 in the ongoing conflict between the two sides since last month, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Wednesday.
Fresh clashes between the two neighbors began on Feb. 26 after Afghanistan’s border forces launched attacks against Pakistani military installations. Kabul said the attack was in retaliation for Islamabad’s airstrikes earlier in February. Both forces have since then engaged in the worst fighting between them in decades.
Islamabad has said its airstrikes, which have at times directly targeted the Afghan Taliban government, are aimed at ending Kabul’s support for militants carrying out attacks on Pakistan. The Taliban has denied aiding militant groups.
“Summary of Fitna Al Khawarij/Afghan Taliban losses: 641 killed, 855+ injured, 243 check posts destroyed,” Tarar wrote on social media platform X.
https://x.com/tararattaullah/status/2031687512868159638?s=46
The minister said Pakistani security forces have destroyed 219 tanks, armored vehicles and artillery guns in the operation so far, and also decimated 65 “terrorists and terror support locations” across Afghanistan by targeting them with airstrikes.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained strained since the Afghan Taliban seized power in August 2021. Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks across the country in recent months that it blames on militants it alleges are based in Afghanistan.
Kabul denies the allegations and insists that its soil is not used by militant groups for attacks against other countries.
While Afghanistan has voiced the desire for dialogue, Pakistan has repeatedly ruled out talks, saying it will continue targeting militant hideouts in Afghanistan through “Operation Ghazab lil Haq” till Kabul desists from supporting militants.
The ongoing conflict between both sides has put the region on heightened alert, as it already suffers from the ongoing US-Israel war against Iran.
