Pakistan

Electoral reforms must to ensure transparent polls: Fawad

Says govt wants to resolve lawyers’ problems on priority

APP May 25, 2021

Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry addressing a press conference at the PID in Islamabad on March 16, 2021. SCREENGRAB

ISLAMABAD:

Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Monday said electoral reforms were imperative to ensure free, fair, and transparent elections in the country.

“We want to hold elections in such a manner that no one should point finger at them. The electoral reforms can only guarantee fair elections,” he said while talking to a delegation of District Bar Rawalpindi, Lahore High Court Bar Rawalpindi Bench, Punjab Bar Council and Lahore High Court Bar Multan Bench.

He said the PTI government was aware of the lawyers’ problems and wanted to resolve them on priority.
The minister maintained that the government would give loans to the legal fraternity.

The lawyers up to the age of 45 years would be given easy loans of up to Rs1 million under the Kamyab Jawan Programme for the construction of chambers, he said.

Under the Prime Minister’s Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme, a proposal is under consideration to give loans of up to Rs6 million to the lawyers and journalists for construction of 10 marla houses, he added.

Fawad said talks had been held with Minister for Panning Asad Umar for establishing vaccination centers at high courts and sessions courts and further progress on the matter was expected in the next few days.

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He said efforts would be made to provide health cards to the journalists and lawyers.

On the demand of a housing society for the lawyers of Rawalpindi Division, the minister assured the community that he would arrange their meeting with the Commissioner Rawalpindi.

The minister said the next era belonged to digitalization, modern technology and reforms, which were vital to strengthen the legal system.

Workshops would be organized to acquaint the lawyers with modern technology, he said

The lawyers praised the government’s move of introducing electoral reforms to ensure free, fair, and transparent elections in the country and welcomed the decision to hold workshops for the lawyers.