European Union (EU) Ambassador to Pakistan Lars-Gunnar Wigemark called on caretaker Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Arif Nizami on Saturday and discussed the initiatives taken by the government for holding fair elections and for facilitation of visas.
Lars-Gunnar said the people of Pakistan should be proud of democracy that had taken roots in their country. He said the EU had observed the 2008 elections and had given a number of recommendations back then to improve the electoral system of the country.
He said Pakistan was headed towards consolidating democracy and added that Pakistan was an important pillar of democracy in the region. “The EU has been invited by the Election Commission of Pakistan to observe the forthcoming general elections and the whole process will be carried out in an impartial way,” he added.
Furthermore, Gunnar said that they fully supported the democratic process in the country, adding that the media could play a tremendous role by ensuring that the elections were held in a fair and free way. He said the Election Commission of Pakistan was playing its role according to the constitution of the country. “EU chief observer Michael Gahler is arriving tomorrow and will meet the caretaker prime minister along with other political stakeholders,” he added.
He said that the total number EU observation mission members would be 110, adding that they would report on the role of the local media and the election campaigns undertaken by all political parties. Afterwards, the process involving counting of votes would be carried out in accordance with a certain methodology and by following the established international standards.
