Best arrangements made to ensure a peaceful election PM tells international observers

Islamabad, Feb 6 ( PTI) Poll-bound Pakistan's caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Tuesday assured a delegation of international observers that despite numerous challenges, the best possible arrangements have been made to ensure peaceful and seamless conduct of the general elections on February 8.
     The elections are taking place for 336 seats in the National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, along with four provincial assemblies.
     About 18,000 candidates are in the race for the National Assembly and the four provincial assemblies in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
     Kakar while talking to the delegation of the Commonwealth Observer Group (COG), led by Nigeria’s former president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, said the country was proud to honour its commitment as a commonwealth member state by inviting independent international observers to witness the general elections.
     A statement issued by the PM Office said the meeting was part of the COG’s interaction with various stakeholders before the upcoming election.
     The statement said the prime minister highlighted that the caretaker government had fulfilled its responsibilities to run the day-to-day affairs of the State and create a conducive environment ahead of the elections.
     “Now it is the turn of the people of Pakistan to exercise their democratic right to vote,” he added.
     More than 120 million people are eligible to exercise their right to vote on February 8.
     Jonathan, who called on Kakar on Tuesday, also conveyed the best wishes of the Secretary General of the Commonwealth Patricia Scotland.
     He said the COG delegation would visit various polling sites nationwide to observe the election process.
     About 100 foreign observers are in the country to monitor the elections being held amidst the deteriorating law and order situation.
     In a bid to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections, Pakistan Army troops have left for election duty in various districts across the country.
     The purpose of deploying the army is to support the civil government during the general elections and ensure the transparency of the electoral process and the law-and-order situation.
     Military personnel will be deployed outside the polling stations on the third tier for security so that any emergency can be dealt with promptly.
     Police will provide first-tier security while Civil Armed Forces will provide second-tier security during the polling.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)