ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi Saturday said no “red line” could be imposed to a politician who was loved by the people of Pakistan and holding of fresh elections would help meet challenges facing Pakistan.
In an interview to a private television channel, he said, according to the constitution, the Election Commission should always be prepared for holding the elections.
He said elections were very important for Pakistan and the spirit of the constitution should be followed. Elections should not be avoided by finding loopholes in the constitution, he added.
The president said elections at the national, provincial and local levels were reflective of the will of the people. Elections should be held on time or before time and avoiding election was undemocratic, he added.
The president said according to the constitution he could ask the prime minister to get a vote of confidence if he would feel that he lacked majority vote in the National Assembly.
He said opposition which was outside the National Assembly had popularity among the people. Political parties should take responsibility for taking the country forward, he stressed. He told that he talked to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar about the need to hold elections.
The current establishment wanted to stay away from politics, he remarked. Dr Arif Alvi expressed confidence that Pakistan would not default economically. The biggest issue for Pakistan at the moment was its economy, he noted.
He said members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) resigned from the National Assembly but their resignations were not accepted.
He said it should be ensured that the next elections in Pakistan were free and fair.
“I tried my best for use of electronic voting machines in the polls and for giving voting rights to the overseas Pakistanis,” he concluded.
