KARACHI: Caretaker Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Solangi categorically said on Thursday that general elections would be held on Feb 8, 2024 and no one should have any doubts in that regard.

Speaking at a press conference, along with Sindh Information Minister Ahmed Shah, he said the caretaker set-up was fully committed to ensuring free and fair elections on the date given by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Conducting free and transparent elections was the responsibility of the ECP and the caretaker set-up was providing all possible support and facilitation to ECP in that regard, he remarked.

He reaffirmed the commitment of the government that all the financial, administrative and security needs of the ECP would be met.

Mr Solangi said that it was the prerogative of the people to decide who would rule the country. “The preamble of the Constitution clearly states that the country will be run by its elected representatives,” he said.

“Making major decisions is the job of the elected parliament and elected government. It is the effort of the present government that the situation should not deteriorate in the run up to the general elections. We will hand over the country in a better condition to the elected government,” he added.

To a question, the minister said that there had been security concerns in the run up to every election in the past.

He said former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated during the campaign for general election held in 2008 and there were also security challenges in the 2013 elections.

He said that so far such situation had not arisen in the country which the national security agencies could not control.

Published in Dawn, December 8th, 2023