Caretaker CM Punjab Najam Sethi shakes hands with PTI chief Imran Khan in Islamabad on Friday. – Photo by INP

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Najam Sethi and Pakistan Tehrik-i- Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan Friday discussed the over all situation of Punjab in run up to the May 11 polls.

Khan was accompanied by the PTI leaders Javed Hashmi, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Naeem-ul-Haq and Jahangir Khan Tareen during the meeting with the caretaker CM, held in Islamabad.

Sethi thanked the PTI chairman for his support and trust in him. The seasoned journalist said that he will take all necessary steps to ensure free and fair elections in the province.

The PTI chief said that future of Pakistan depends on fairness and transparency in the upcoming general elections in the country.

Sethi said that the caretaker setup would address all reservations of political parties and will try to live up to their trust and expectations. He also sought cooperation of the political parties for holding transparent elections.

The interim CM said that he would appoint individuals with good repute to the caretaker cabinet.

Meanwhile, addressing a separate press conference earlier today, Sethi said that directions of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would be fully implemented.

The caretaker CM said that he has complete backing of the election commission as far as reshuffle of bureaucracy is concerned in the province.

He was of the view that for the first time in the history of Pakistan, independent, constitutional and non-political caretaker governments have been established at the centre and the provinces.

Sethi said that he will be the first to quit if any attempt was made or any conspiracy was hatched to extend the tenure of the caretaker setup.

He said that five to six impartial personalities would become a part of the Punjab caretaker setup. He described law and order issue as the biggest problem.

Sethi said the threat of terrorism in the upcoming elections is very real and the Punjab government will do all it can to stop the subversive acts in the province.

“I am 90 per cent sure that I will succeed in holding free and transparent elections,” he said.

The caretaker CM said the media will have a pivotal role to ensure the prime objective of free and fair elections in the country.

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