Pakistan PM meets Jonathan-led Commonwealth Observers, vows peaceful poll

The Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, has assured former President Goodluck Jonathan and other members of the Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) that the best possible arrangements have been made to ensure peaceful and transparent conduct of the scheduled February 8 general election in the country.

Kakar said this while receiving Jonathan and other members of the COG at the State House in Islamabad, Pakistan on Tuesday, February 6, 2024.

He stated that Pakistan would honour its commitment as a Commonwealth member, adding that the country has invited independent international observers to witness the general election.

The Caretaker Prime Minister noted that his administration had fulfilled its responsibilities to run the day-to-day affairs of the state and create a conducive environment ahead of the election, urging the people of Pakistan to reciprocate by exercising their democratic right to vote.

Speaking in his capacity as the Chairman of the Commonwealth Observers Group, Jonathan expressed appreciation for the warm reception since arriving in Islamabad.

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He said they were in Pakistan to observe the general election in line with the Commonwealth’s guidelines for such exercise, following an invitation from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The former president noted that in conducting their duties and undertaking an assessment of the elections, the COG will be neutral, impartial, objective, and independent.

Jonathan and other members of the group made up of experts from across the Commonwealth arrived in Pakistan last week and will be present in the country throughout the electoral process.

Since their arrival, the observers have been conducting stakeholder briefings, including meetings with political parties, the police, the army, civil society groups, citizen observer and monitor groups, the media, as well as the Election Commission of Pakistan.

On Election Day, the members of the COG are expected to observe the opening, voting, closing, counting, and results management processes across the country, before issuing an interim statement on its preliminary findings on February 10, 2024.

The Star