ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Monday said that the upcoming elections will be held on time as it was the demand of the people and Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should ensure that there is no delay.
Talking to media after addressing a ceremony held at the National Press Club, Islamabad with regard to International Day for Thalassemia, the minister said that if any attempt was made to delay the elections, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) would resist that move.
She said that Pakistan had fought a successful war against terrorism through operations Zarb-e-Azb, Raddul Fasaad and Karachi operation, which was still continuing. She added that the armed forces, law enforcing agencies and people had rendered unparalleled sacrifices in the war against terrorism.
Marriyum said that Imran Khan had alleged that Pakistan Army had stolen the mandate of 2013 elections which should be taken notice of by the state institutions.
In regards to the attack on Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, she told the media that he was out of danger after a successful operation and all the political parties had condemned the incident. She added that Ahsan Iqbal belonged to a religious family and the entire nation knew him.
Marriyum said that such incidents could be checked if effective SOPs were implemented, adding that all the important persons should be given fool-proof security.
Earlier addressing the ceremony, she said that the present government had taken effective measures for prevention of Thalassemia including the setting up of a Thalassemia Center in Islamabad on the instructions of Begum Kalsoom Nawaz. She urged all the patients under treatment in the Thalassemia centre to pray to the Almighty for the safety and early recovery of Kalsoom Nawaz.