‘Clear demonstration of public commitment’: Caretaker Prime Minister Park on high voter turnout

Anwaarul Haq Kakar describes high voter turnout as ‘big moment’ (File)

Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwar Haq Kakar on Thursday praised people’s “participation and enthusiasm” as the cornerstone of democratic practice and said the high turnout was “a clear demonstration of public commitment”. He also praised Pakistan’s security personnel, civil administration and election commission for holding “free and fair elections” across the country.

With 650,000 security personnel deployed, voting began at 8:00 am and ended at 5:00 pm, with around 1.28 million registered voters casting their votes.

Despite sporadic violence and the suspension of internet and mobile services before and on the day of the vote, large numbers of people turned out to vote in a country racked by an economic crisis.

Kakar called it a “significant moment” and said it was a testament not only to the “resilience and strength of our democratic process” but also to the “indomitable spirit” of the Pakistani people.

“The participation and enthusiasm of the people of Pakistan are the cornerstone of this democratic event. The high voter turnout is a clear demonstration of the public’s commitment to shaping the future of our country. The voice expressed through the ballot will help achieve the goal of strengthening our democracy, and to this end, The people of Pakistan deserve full appreciation,” Mr Kakar said in a post on X.

He also commended the armed forces, civilian armed forces, local law enforcement agencies, civil administration and the Election Commission for their work “in the country with almost no terrorist incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan” “Their unwavering efforts to conduct free and fair elections within the scope are commendable,” adding that “their unwavering efforts” to uphold their responsibilities are crucial to the smooth conduct of the elections. ” He published a lengthy article on X, concluding: “May this election herald a brighter and more prosperous future for Pakistan. ” Meanwhile, Dawn reported that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said it had resolved 76 poll-related complaints received throughout the day.

The news website stated that an ECP spokesperson said that most of the complaints were of a “normal nature” and involved confrontations between political workers from different regions and were resolved on the spot.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)