ISLAMABAD  -  Caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi on Monday reiterated the caretak­er government’s commitment to fos­tering positive relationships with all political parties. 

The minister, in a television inter­view, stated that the Pakistan Teh­reek-e-Insaf (PTI) was a duly regis­tered political party and there was no restriction on its participation in the electoral process. He underlined that there was no discord among po­litical stakeholders, as the current situation is notably favorable, with no visible signs of apprehension. The caretaker government’s prima­ry objective was to ensure that the general election results were accept­ed by all the quarters concerned.

Solangi stressed that the ultimate choice of supporting a certain po­litical party rested with the people. The incumbent government’s focus was on how to hold impartial, fair and transparent elections and the Election Commission of Pakistan’s role in that regard would also be crucial, he added.

The minister said as the elections were being held according to the lat­est census data then the ECP was con­stitutionally authorized to fix the poll­ing date. Regarding the constituency delimitation process, Solangi said the ECP had published the schedule in that regard. Once the delimitation process completed, then the political parties would have 54 days to conduct their election campaigns, he added.

He expressed the caretaker govern­ment’s commitment to work close­ly with the Election Commission for creating a conducive atmosphere for political activities. It was their goal to leave the country in a better state for the next elected government, he add­ed. The caretaker government would hand over the reigns to the people’s elected representatives and there should be no ambiguity in that re­gard, he remarked.

Solangi said the caretaker gov­ernment was operating within the bounds of the law and the Consti­tution. “The concept of a caretaker setup is enshrined in parliamentary procedures, and its tenure is defined by constitutional regulations and bodies.” Regarding Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and his political party, the minister said in a democratic frame­work, the political parties and their leaders had the right to express their opinions freely. To a question, Solan­gi said the caretaker law minister’s meeting with the president was the part of his official duties.