LAHORE, Dec 4: Unlike past, the Interior Ministry has not been asked to launch pre-poll exercise of identifying potential winners besides monitoring the role of different departments during the election campaign.

A senior official in the ministry, who requested not to be named, was not clear whether it was a change of strategy or some other institution had been assigned the task, or there were any second thoughts on the holding of elections or the government was going to keep the ballots transparent?

“The only thing we know is that we have not yet been directed to prepare district-wise reports about winning and losing horses,” he said.

In the past, he said, the exercise was completed a month before the polling day. “This time there is also no hint from the high command about support to any candidate,” he added.

He admitted that the PML-Q hopefuls for national and provincial assemblies were being accommodated in matters handled by local governments and, to some extent, police but the practice was not being followed religiously this time for no-one from the top was issuing any directions.

Similarly, he said, there was also no evidence of release of money from the top that was used to benefit certain candidates in the past.