Caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Arif Nizami said Saturday that elections were the best form of accountability as the masses judge the government’s through the ballot’s power.
Replying to the media’s questions after a briefing regarding the cabinet’s decisions, he said that the caretaker government’s mandate was free and fair elections. “Unfortunately in the past some caretaker governments indulged in witch hunting in the name of accountability, but the present caretaker set-up will not victimise anyone to settle old scores,” he stated.
Nizami said that the government provided a level playing field for all political parties’ campaigns. However, he said that some parties were not running their election campaign in Punjab by choice. He condemned the attack on a Pakistani prisoner in Jammu jail and urged the Indian government to protection measures for Pakistani prisoners.
He also said that the assault on an Indian prisoner in Kot Lakhpat jail was not premeditated, and that the government of Pakistan had fully facilitated his family for visits.
He declined to comment on the state funeral given to Sarabjit Singh in India, calling it India’s internal matter. He also condemned the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)’s prosecutor’s killing, and informed that an inquiry had been ordered to chastise the culprits.
Further, he answered a question about the renaming of a National Services and Regulations Division, saying that that all institutions under the newly formed Health Coordination and Regulation Division were already under the federal government and there was no violation of the18th amendment.
