PPP, PML-N not on same page

ISLAMABAD:

The two main component parties of the 11-party Pakistan Democratic Alliance – the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz – also seemed to differ on the issue of electoral reforms.

A day after refusing to resign from the assemblies on the PDM’s call, the PPP announced on Wednesday that it was ready to sit with the government to bring in electoral reforms in the country.

On the other hand, the PML-N termed the government’s move an attempt to introduce more innovative ways to steal people’s mandate.

While commenting on Prime Minister Imran Khan’s letter to National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, asking for a multi-party parliamentary committee to review the election reforms, former prime minister and PPP central leader Raja Pervaiz Ashraf expressed the view that the PPP was willing to be part of any such committee if the “intention” was correct.

“[PPP] is willing to go to any reform committee provided that the intent is to hold free, fair and transparent elections in the country,” Ashraf said, while lambasting the PTI for demanding resignation from the officials of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

“With this intention,” the former PM said, “if someone is willing to sit with us [PPP], we are ready to legislate; parliament’s fundamental duty is to legislate where necessary.”

In the press conference, Ashraf said that the PPP is a party which believes in democracy and has defeated every despotic government with its democratic actions.

The former premier that it was the PPP that convinced all political parties in the PDM to take part in the by-elections and the PDM won in all four provinces.

Ashraf said that it was very unfortunate that the government attacked a constitutional institution – the Election Commission of Pakistan. He said that the PPP strongly condemned baseless accusations hurled at the ECP by PM Imran and his ministers.

“All democratic forces are standing by the ECP. There is no fault of the ECP if Imran Khan lost all by-elections and Senate elections,” he said.

The PPP stalwart said that “the name of the opposition leader in the Senate will be announced after deliberations.”

Meanwhile, PML-N stalwart and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that the government, with its talk of an electronic voting system, "is devising a new way of stealing elections".

"If someone takes the machines away or makes the data disappear, then where will we go?" he asked while speaking at a news conference. He was flanked by PML-N secretary general Ahsan Iqbal and Marriyum Aurangzeb.

He said the people devising the ways are those "who themselves are involved in stealing elections and who themselves came into power after the most controversial elections held in Pakistan's history".

Abbasi said this is "akin to a wolf taking care of sheep".

"And so this wolf is saying the election system must be handed over to them as they are bringing forth reforms and an inter-parliamentary committee must be formed," he continued.

Abbasi also heavily criticised a letter written by Prime Minister Imran Khan to National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, whereby he has stressed on the formation of the parliamentary committee.

Abbasi, referring to the letter, said a prime minister "who does not know the decorum of parliament and neither does he attend its sessions has written to the speaker".

He referred to the letter as "two ignorant men writing to each other", whereas what should be focused on has long been ignored.

Speaking further of parliament and the debates therein, he said "there has been no talk of the people, the inflation, sugar, wheat, electricity bills", adding that it is a forum where "raising your voice to speak for the people is prevented".

"The speaker stops you," he said, adding: "The speaker is supposed to be non-partisan and one who earns the opposition's respect."

He added that the speaker "is one who neither lets the leader of the opposition speak and who does not see the empty front row of benches".

"The leader of the opposition is in jail who has no case against him and so is the parliamentary party leader. But the speaker remains silent. The custodian of the House remains silent.

"This is the misfortune of the House. Who will trust such a speaker? Within the assembly premises, a mob attacks six members but the speaker remains silent," Abbasi went on to say.