President Dr Arif Alvi on Wednesday conveyed to Caretaker PM Anwaarul Haq Kakar, the concerns of the PTI on the erosion of fundamental rights and level playing field, the President’s Office said in a statement.

“The Prime Minister, being Head of Government, may therefore, kindly look into these issues”, he said in a letter to PM Kakar along with a letter sent to him by the General Secretary of PTI, Omar Ayub Khan.

In his letter, the president said that it was of utmost importance that the caretaker government made efforts as a neutral entity to provide a level playing field for all political parties.

“In this context, it was reassuring to hear your [PM Kakar] recent statements whereby you stated that it was the caretaker government’s policy that all registered political parties should have equal rights and opportunities to contest the forthcoming elections”, he wrote.

Democracy was the only viable way forward for the state and people of Pakistan, he said, adding that the essence of this lied in giving people the right to partake in political activities and to be able to voice their opinions through free media.

The PTI’s general secretary had conveyed his party’s concern on the erosion of fundamental rights, with particular reference to enforced disappearances, forced conversions of political loyalties, absence of a level playing field for major political parties, crackdown on media and mistreatment of female political activists through prolonged illegal detentions.

In his letter to PM Kakar, the president said that the President of Pakistan represented the unity of the republic as the head of state under Article 41 of the Constitution of Pakistan and was duty-bound along with the prime minister and all institutions to protect the rights of the citizens.

Due to the mentioned reasons, he was sending the letter containing PTI’s allegations, which had also been debated in the media, regarding the increasing cases of enforced disappearances of individuals with known political affiliation, President Alvi added.

He maintained that such instances became a matter of concern when such actions resulted in the conversion of political associations or loyalties.

He added that the issue became sensitive when female political workers were also subjected to prolonged detentions or frequent rearrests after court relief.

The President wrote that Article 4 of the Constitution of Pakistan clearly stipulated that it was the inalienable right of every citizen to be treated in accordance with the law, while Article 17 of the Constitution provided that every citizen shall have the right to form associations and/or be a member of a political party.

He further said that Article 19 of the Constitution stated that every citizen shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, and there shall be freedom of the press.