Opposition against EVMs for 'vested interests': PM Imran

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday reiterated his government's resolve to introduce electronic voting machines (EVMs) to put an end to chronic allegations of rigging surrounding elections in the country but said certain people with "vested interests" were opposed to the reforms.

Addressing the signing ceremony of Performance Agreements with federal ministers in Islamabad, the premier said EVMs would not benefit the government in any way as the only purpose of introducing these machines was to make the polls transparent.

The document launched today has a total of 1,090 initiatives and targets for all ministries, including 426 to be completed in 2021-22; 488 in 2022-23, and 176 running initiatives, supplementing the overall delivery of ministries across two years, and beyond.

According to Imran, since 1970 everyone who has suffered defeat in an election has cried foul. "The EVMs will end such controversies," the PM said, adding that even the elections in the Senate, which has 1,500 votes, have become controversial.

He claimed that the people who benefit from the "corrupt system" were opposing the EVMs for their vested interests.

"These are people who do not want change in Pakistan for their vested interests and they are our [government's] enemies," he added.

Speaking about the performance of the government, the prime minister said that the first year in power was about survival while in the second year, the government had to take tackle the coronavirus pandemic and economic challenges.

Referring to Covid-19, Imran said the government has not taken due credit for the way it has handled the pandemic and kept the economy running.

"The third year in power has now provided us with the opportunity to work hard and achieve targets set by the government," Imran stated, adding that the PTI government would again return to power on the basis of its performance.

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Speaking about the performance of the provinces, the premier said the real battle is for Punjab now, as the people have been complaining about "frequent changes" in the province's administration.

He maintained that people will not remember the changes but would remember better governance.

"If we achieve these targets, our coalition government will emerge stronger," he added.

The premier also urged his ministers to excel at quarterly targets set by their ministries, adding that the more they struggle, the more they would achieve. He further told them never to compromise on their vision and always move forward instead of backing down.

Imran added the government should not fret about difficult circumstances because patience in adversity teaches capacity building.