ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Saturday reaffirmed the pledge that Pakistan would continue raising the Indian Illegally Occupied and Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) issue at all the global and regional levels because it had been the oldest, most awaiting and unresolved agenda item of the United Nations Security Council.
During an interview with the Voice of America (Urdu section) ahead of his departure for the United Nations meeting in New York, Kakar remarked that Pakistan had been regularly and consistently advocating and defending the issue of Kashmir at all the available multilateral and regional fora and would continue to do till its resolution.
India has turned the entire area into the largest prison in the world while committing gross human rights violations in IIOJK, the prime minister maintained.
PM Kakar on Election
To a question regarding the general election, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said that it was the mandate of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to announce a date, adding that the interim setup was ready to assist the ECP regarding the provision of financial resources and security for the election.
He further said that all possible steps would be taken to conduct a free and transparent election in a smooth process.
Media Freedom in Pakistan
To a query, PM Kakar replied that there was no check on media and freedom of expression in the country, and Pakistan was still far better than other countries in the region in the context of free press and media.
“Media has the freedom and can raise voice or air any issue regarding the government, its institutions or the economic issues,” he maintained.
About Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s legal cases, the PM rebutted the impression of keeping him (IK) out of the politics, adding that it was a sub-judice matter as there were allegations against Imran Khan. He said that the impression of his arrest was not correct and hoped that the judicial process would be fair and transparent.
He also rejected the impression as entirely incorrect that the interim government had support and was a continuation of the previous PDM government, adding that he was nominated by the former leader of the house and the opposition in the National Assembly.
PM Kakar on Afghanistan
Kakar said that Pakistan was fully aware and playing its part for durable peace in Afghanistan and the region and liaison with the Taliban and the international community at all the relevant forums, adding that the Taliban had made a commitment under the Doha agreement that the soil of Afghanistan would not be used against any country for terrorism.
He maintained that the government was trying its best to address Afghan transit issues, including the illegal trade along with improving trade ties not only with Afghanistan but also with all the Central Asian Republics.
Responding to a question, the prime minister said that his statement regarding the falling of weapons left behind by NATO and the US in Afghanistan in the hands of terrorists was not meant to level any allegations or blame against the US or any other country, and the impression in this regard was totally incorrect.
The prime minister rejected the view by some elements about the isolation of Islamabad and said that Pakistan enjoyed cordial relations with the Arab, Gulf, and other regional nations, adding that apart from the region, the relations with the West would grow further stronger in the near future.
