Proceedings of the maiden meeting of the federal caretaker cabinet give an idea of the priorities and commitments of the interim set-up and what it intends to do in the limited time till holding of the next general election. The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar, vowed to reduce the government’s spending in view of the prevailing economic conditions, clarifying that it was also its responsibility not to waste the tax-payers’ money. Later, briefing newsmen, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi said holding elections is the sole responsibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and that the federal government would discharge its duty of assisting the Commission in that regard.
The Prime Minister’s pledge to maintain financial discipline and fulfill international commitments made by the previous government is the need of the hour as any deviation from the chosen path could derail the gains already made, exposing the country to serious challenges. This resolve of the caretaker government was also highlighted by the Information Minister’s forceful defence of the recent significant increase in prices of the POL products in line with the understanding that the previous government reached with the IMF. The Government is also not intervening to stabilize the falling rupee, which lost more worth in recent days and the yawning gap between the inter-bank and the open market rates could mean further devaluation in days and weeks to come. There are also media reports about plans of the government to jack up the electricity tariff further, over and above the big increase that the coalition government made in its last days. This is being justified on the pretext of rising circular debt but the policy of neutralizing the circular debt through repeated price increase is not a prudent approach as consumers must not be penalized for institutional incompetence to eliminate or bring down the line losses and dare-devil power theft besides free electricity to some segments of the society. The cabinet did not decide when the elections would be held in the country as it asserted that conducting the exercise is the sole responsibility of the ECP, but PM Kakar acknowledged the interim set-up did not have a “perpetual mandate” to serve the nation.
The resolve of the government to assist the Commission in holding transparent elections is not a mere slogan as the Information Minister met the Chief Election Commissioner personally to convey a firm message in this regard on behalf of the cabinet. This is a welcome development but more important is the confusion about timing of the general election. No doubt, it is mandate of the ECP to announce a date and it would be also unfair to expect much from the interim set-up which is there only for a few days but announcement of a firm date for polls would clear the unnecessary mist and allow all stakeholders including the ECP, political parties and the caretakers to focus on the electoral exercise. Presently, a segment of the legal community is threatening to launch a protest movement if elections are not held within the 90 days of the dissolution of the National Assembly. The threat comes in the backdrop of a statement from the Election Commission expressing inability to do so in view of the gigantic task of redrawing constituencies for National and Provincial assemblies. The Commission has defended its move, saying the exercise was a constitutional requirement for holding polls and that without fresh delimitation of constituencies and updated electoral rolls, voters will not have true representation in Parliament.
This might be an acceptable proposition but then the question arises why a firm date for the polls is not being given when the Commission has already announced the schedule for delimitation of constituencies (envisaging completion of the process by December 14) as the uncertainty is fuelling rumours about possible delay of elections for an unspecified period. Therefore, the Commission should announce the polling date to counter such propaganda and apprehensions. The remarks of the Prime Minister about May 09 disturbances clearly show there would be no leniency for those involved in attacks against the military installations as the government intends to ensure justice is done in a neutral manner.
