Poll process monitoring: foreign observers and media persons to be facilitated, says Cheema

The government has announced that it would welcome any number of international observers and media persons to watch the electoral process, the interior ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.
Briefing newsmen in Islamabad, Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier Javed Iqbal Cheema (Retd) said the government would facilitate observers to monitor the polls on the ground across the length and breadth of the country. The provincial governments and security apparatus have also been instructed to provide all possible facilities to the international observers and media persons to watch the conduct of polls.
Expressing satisfaction over improved law and order situation, the spokesman said this augurs well for peaceful and smooth electioneering campaign in accordance with the rules and the code of conduct prescribed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Cheema said the caretaker set-ups at the federal and provincial level are giving top priority to maintenance of peace and order during the polls so the voters are able to give their mandate through free, fair and transparent ballots.
He said the caretaker governments are also committed to ensuring equal opportunity to all political parties for projecting their manifestos and viewpoint to the electorate. The spokesman said as part of the efforts to promote a congenial atmosphere for elections, almost all those taken into custody after imposition of emergency have been freed, except for a very small number. They would also be freed soon.
He expressed the confidence that in view of improvement in situation in Swat, people of the region would also to exercise their franchise in the coming elections in tandem with their brothers in other parts of the country. The spokesman told a questioner that the government is providing necessary security to both Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.
To a question the spokesman said the provincial government would decide about the appropriate time for release of Aitzaz Ahsan so his release would not create any law and order problem. He said the campaign in Swat is being carried out with due prudence and maximum care to minimise hardships to the people. The situation has considerably improved and most of the areas have been cleared of the militants, enabling local residents to resume their normal activities.
The civil administration is functioning normally in Swat and Shangla and the police have established their pickets. He said the writ of the government would be established in remaining pockets. He said now people of Swat are in the vanguard and working shoulder to shoulder with the security forces.
He said since beginning of the operation, 230 militants have been killed and over 90, including some foreigners have been arrested. The spokesman said the culprit involved in an explosion in a Madrassa in Qila Saifullah has been arrested and is under investigation.
Cheema said this afternoon a Burqa clad woman tried to approach a security check-post on Khyber Road in Peshawar. The personnel on the check-post were alert and ordered the woman to stop at a safe distance. On realising that she can't approach the security personnel she exploded herself. She is the only casualty.
To a question, he said this was the first woman suicide bomber in Pakistan. Replying to another question he said Pakistan's nuclear assets are safe and there is no possibility of anyone getting closer to them. About deposed judges, he said they are free to go their homes.