In letter to NA speaker, PM Imran Khan urges formation of committee for electoral reforms
PM Imran Khan on Wednesday penned a letter to National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser asking him to make an electoral reform committee during a bid to bring transparency to the elections.
"The recent Senate elections have highlighted once more the scourge of vote purchasing within the prevailing non-transparent manner of conducting elections," the premier said within the letter.
The premier, within the letter, highlighted that the treasury bench had submitted a bill for "meaningful electoral reforms to get rid of the prevailing stigma attached to our electoral process".
"I would request you to right away form an inter-party parliamentary committee to debate these reforms and are available to an agreement on the way to introduce best practices including the utilization of technology and introduction of EVMs (electronic voting machines) to strengthen our voting system and democracy," he said.
The premier said the task should be completed during a definitive time-frame in order that enough time is given to the relevant institution to bring reforms before subsequent election .
"In the context of the Senate, my party and that i asked for open ballots to make sure transparency and fairness given how Senate elections had achieved notoriety as being a serious marketplace for the acquisition of votes," he said.
The prime minister highlighted that the govt had moved the Supreme Court during this regard and therefore the judiciary directed the committee of Pakistan (ECP) to make sure transparent, fair, and free elections and stated that secrecy of the ballot wasn't absolute”.
"Unfortunately, the ECP paid no heed to the SC judgment and did not perform fair and free Senate elections," he lamented.
"The malaise of our prevailing voting system including but not limited to the free flow of cash to get votes has been the topic of critique in any case elections with the losers declaring the results to possess been rigged," he said.
PM Imran Khan said the practice had begun to destroy the whole "credibility of all elections in Pakistan" casting a shadow of doubt over our entire democratic process also because the functioning of our parliamentary system.
"It is within the interest of democracy in Pakistan to determine a reputable and transparent voting system and put an end to all or any venues that leave corrupt practices that are eroding our democracy ," the premier said.
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