Pak's caretaker PM Kakar refuses to give out general election date; says job of election commission
Islamabad (PTI): Pakistan's interim Prime Minister Anwaar-ul Haq Kakar on Friday refused to give a date for the country's general elections, asserting that it was the job of the election authorities.
Kakar was speaking at a press conference after a meeting at the PM House when he was asked if he would like to set a date for the upcoming national elections.
"If I were to announce elections, I would be engaging in an unlawful act, and as a journalist, you should be aware that if you steer us towards illegal actions and pose questions that might tempt us to break the law, then what should my response be?" he said.
He was asked the same question earlier this week and responded that it was for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to decide a date.
The date for the general elections has become a controversial matter in Pakistan as polls should be held within a constitutionally mandated 90-day period after the dissolution of the National Assembly, which was done on August 9.
However, just days before the end of its term, the previous government endorsed the results of the countrywide census.
The decision made it mandatory for the election commission to devise new electoral districts before elections, for which it has been provided 120 days by the country's constitution.
The ECP has announced to complete the delimitation process by November 30 and then announce election schedules, which are expected to be held in January. However, President Ari Alvi and some political parties insist the elections should be held within 90 days.
In a letter to the ECP chief this week, Alvi, who was a founding member of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, proposed November 6 as the day for the polls, but the top election body has so far not commented on the suggestion.
It is believed that polls will be held somewhere in January, but without a firm date, rumours are making rounds about the intention of the caretaker set-up to prolong its tenure. Earlier this week, Kakar clarified that the interim government had no intention of extending its term.
He had sided with the ECP and said on a Geo News programme that, per the law, deciding the date for general elections was the ECP's prerogative.
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Jharkhand: 2 killed, 5 injured after being run over by truck
Garhwa/Hazaribag (PTI): Two persons were killed and five others injured after being allegedly run over by a truck in Jharkhand's Hazaribag district on Thursday evening, police said.
The deceased were standing near a roadside puncture repair shop in Charhi when the accident happened, they said.
The injured persons were admitted to the Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College and Hospital, they added.
"The identity of the deceased is yet to be ascertained," said a police officer.
In another accident in Garhwa, two men in their mid-20s died after being hit by a speeding tractor, police said.
The accident happened in the Mahuliya panchayat in the Garhwa police station area in the early hours, they said.
"Rahul Chaudhary (26) and Nandlal Ram (26) were standing near their motorcycle on the roadside. A speeding tractor coming from the opposite direction hit them. Rahul died on the spot, while Nandlal succumbed to the injuries while being taken to the Sadar Hospital," said a police officer.
"Immediately after the mishap, the tractor driver abandoned the vehicle and fled. The tractor has been seized, and raids are underway to apprehend the absconding driver," he said.
