Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar has said that Pakistan is soon entering the election phase, and no particular group will be favoured or opposed during the polls.

Kakar said this in an interview to Turkish TV channel, TRT. He remarked that civilian institutions have been performing poorly for the last three to four decades.

And when there is poor governance, he went on to say, the only institution that has the organizational capability is the military.

“Anyone who’s leading the government has to rely on them to do the delivery part,” he stressed while talking about the reasons for the supposed imbalance in the civil-military relationship.

He then suggested that to resolve the issue of the military’s meddling in the affairs of the state, “we need to increase the capacity of civilian institutions”.

Can Pakistan function as a true democracy with significant military influence?

Pakistan's Caretaker PM @anwaar_kakar says the solution lies in strengthening the civilian institutions rather than weakening the military.

Watch the full interview here: https://t.co/cmQzCuJpVZ pic.twitter.com/vCPjvTPj36
— The Newsmakers (@The_Newsmakers) September 25, 2023

The caretaker prime minister also remarked that Pakistani politicians have had a “political marital alliance” with the military “for their own specific interests”.

“They have all sailed together with the same military to attain political power. And once they are out of power, this is the favorite mantra to criticize and shift the onus of their own flaws in terms of governance… as an imbalance between civil-military relationship.”

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He vowed that he will make sure the election process is fair and transparent. He further said that the rights of every political party will be protected, adding that peaceful protest is everyone’s right in a democracy. However, he stressed that violent protests will not be allowed at any cost.

PM Kakar also said that delimitation is a constitutional requirement and any objection to them should be raised at the time of legislation. He added that the election commission also cannot undertake any unconstitutional step.

We asked Pakistan's Caretaker PM @anwaar_kakar if #Pakistan is heading towards a fair election.

Here is how he responded:

Watch the full interview here: https://t.co/cmQzCuJpVZ pic.twitter.com/56tmlnR0gy
— The Newsmakers (@The_Newsmakers) September 25, 2023

He told the interviewer that PTI Chairman Imran Khan himself backed off from his narrative about a US conspiracy behind the toppling of his government. Sometimes, politicians adopt such stance to garner public support, he maintained.

“We will ensure that no external force interferes in Pakistan’s affairs,” he asserted. “For the first time, a prime minister was removed from power through constitutional means.”

Pakistan is an independent and sovereign state that makes decisions in national interest. He said he saw the army’s role under the government.