PM urges provinces to pool funds for ex-Fata uplift

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Imran Khan reiterated his commitment to e-governance to ensure a better delivery system and reiterated his stance that the introduction of electronic voting machines (EVMs) would eliminate all the issues which made elections in the past controversial.

The prime minister said that next time he would ensure that elections were held in such a manner that even the opposition parties would accept their defeat. He added that vote fraud occurred after the end of polling and the announcement of the results but the use of technology could prevent it.

Imran urged the provinces to contribute to the uplift of newly-merged tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). He revealed that the government was considering new legislation against landgrabbers to ensure strict action against the encroachment.

Imran spent a busy day on Wednesday, attending the launching ceremony of issuance of succession certificates by the Punjab government in collaboration with National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), ground-breaking of various development projects by Capital Development Authority, besides chairing a meeting on the development of erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

Addressing the launching ceremony, the prime minister underlined the need for use of latest technology to facilitate the public. He observed that a revolution had been brought to the world by the information technology which also had ensured hassle-free paperless governance system.

“The government is implementing e-governance to end routine files and paper system. For the first time, land record is being computerised to facilitate the public,” he said, adding that in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), such system was being introduced under a target set for the month of August.

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Similarly, Imran emphasised, the introduction of the EVM would eliminate all polling issues. In the past, he mentioned, all the elections except those held in 1970, became controversial because the opposition parties raised objections to the results.

“The public will have trust in the EVMs [if these machines are used in the polling],” the prime minister told the audience. “The electronic voting machine will eliminate fraud,” he said, adding: “We will hold such an election that the opposition will accept defeat.”

The prime minister gave an example of the recent US elections held in November last year. He said that former president Donald Trump had contested the presidential election results, but he could not prove his allegations due to the use of the latest technology.

“We must use technology to make things easier for the people,” the prime minister said. He observed that people often faced difficulties in their day-to-day life but the IT had provided shortcut solutions to various issues.

He added that it was the government’s responsibility to remove hardships from the lives of people and serve them, as it functioned on their taxes. “The job of the government is to provide facilities to the people,” the prime minister emphasised.

Imran referred to introduction of an in-house developed software at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital, which made the hospital’s functions paperless. Through the adoption of this technology, Imran said, the pilferage and corruption also ended there.

The prime minister termed the issuance of inheritance certificate through NADRA “a big step” and said that he expected of NADRA to facilitate the overseas Pakistanis as the government wanted to enable them to take part in the general elections with some kind of fool-proof voting system.

Previously, the Pakistanis living abroad had to come to Pakistan for getting the inheritance certificates.  But now, legal heirs will be able to obtain inheritance certificates from NADRA within 15 days without resorting to courts.

The initiative is part of Prime Minister Imran Khan's vision to ensure that citizens enjoy their legitimate rights without difficulty. It will reduce the burden of litigation on the courts and enable the heirs to access their legal rights quickly and easily.

He said about 9 million overseas Pakistanis were the country’s asset as they had been serving the country economically by sending back remittances. “Now, it will be easier for Pakistanis living abroad to obtain inheritance certificates,” Imran said. “The use of technology can speed up any task,” he added.

Highlighting the issues in the previous system, Imran pointed out that sometimes files were lost because fires broke out or the land record got burned. “This whole system can be avoided by e-governance. We want e-governance in our government.”

Uplift of ex-Fata

Chairing a meeting on the reconstruction and development of erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) under the funds provided by the federal government, Imran urged the provinces to contribute to the uplift of the merged tribal districts to ensure prosperity of the people there.

The prime minister acknowledged the immense sacrifices rendered by the people of the tribal areas, which had now been merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, for the country and stressed that they needed to be given all the basic amenities of life.

Addressing the groundbreaking ceremonies of various development projects of the Capital Development Authority, Imran said the government was considering new legislation against landgrabbers to ensure strict action against illegal occupants.

Imran said that improper proceedings resulted in bails to the land grabbers, while a lesser penalty did not act as an effective deterrent against the crime. “The new law will help mitigate the sufferings of people fallen victim to illegal dispossession and ensure strict action against the qabza groups,” he said.

To counter the negative impacts of rapid urbanisation, the prime minister said that the government had chalked out a strategy, including making city master plans, green areas and forestation, addressing traffic problems and elimination of land grabbers.

(WITH INPUT FROM APP)