PM cajoles allies for electoral reforms

Coalition partners express full confidence in PM Imran’s leadership

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday took his government’s coalition partners into confidence on the overall political and economic situation as well as the convening of a joint session of parliament next week for legislation regarding electoral reforms and other important issues.

The prime minister, while explaining his government’s intention to pass the bills related to electoral reforms in the joint session, also apprised the allies about the situation arising out of the protest of, and later an agreement with, the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry confirmed in his post-cabinet meeting press briefing that the premier had sought support of the allies for electoral reforms, which included the use of electronic voting machine (EVM) and giving roughly nine million overseas Pakistani the right to vote in the next general elections.

“We [the government] presented 49-point electoral reform idea before the allies,” the minister said, adding that further briefings would be given to the coalition partners in this regard. “We have sought their support for the electoral reforms agenda and they have graciously agreed,” he said.

“They [allies] have said that they are with the prime minister on the agenda,” the government spokesperson said. He added that the allies assured the prime minister of taking the reforms agenda forward, and that they would stand by the government.

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The meeting was attended by Information and Technology Minister Aminul Haque, Law Minister Farogh Naseem, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid of the Awami Muslim League (AML), and Inter-Provincial Coordination Minister Dr Fehmida Mirza of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA).

Also present in the meeting were Water Resource Minister Moonis Elahi of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam (PML-Q); Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo and Senator Manzoor Ahmed Khan of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP); and Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) Shahzain Bugti of the Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP).

“The leaders of the allied parties expressed full confidence in the leadership and policies of Prime Minister Imran Khan,” an official statement issued after the meeting read. The coalition partners also assured the prime minister that they would stand on the same page on important national issues.

Fawad said that PM Imran met the coalition partners after chairing a federal cabinet meeting. In the meeting, the prime minister explained the government’s stance on the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against the backdrop of the proposed reforms.

Apart from the electoral reforms, one of the participants of the meeting revealed that the government intended to bring over two-dozen bills, including the one dealing with Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, in the joint session, which is expected next week – probably Monday.

The government has referred several bills, including the electoral reforms and the one providing right of appeal to Indian spy, to the joint sitting after the motions were approved by the treasury benches amid the opposition’s boycott in the National Assembly.

The bills that were passed by the National Assembly but could not sail through the Senate within the stipulated 90-day time, are also being sent to the joint session of parliament, where the government enjoys majority.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Political Affairs Malik Muhammad Amir Dogar said that the meeting took place in a “cordial environment” and that the allies assured the prime minister of their complete support on electoral reforms.

Dogar said that the allies were briefed about the government plan for calling the joint session, especially on the electoral reforms agenda. Stating that the joint session could be called any day in the next week, he denied that any bill related to Jadhav was on the agenda.

The decision to call the joint session comes after the government repeatedly invited the opposition to come forward with their suggestions on the proposed electoral reforms, but they did not. However, the government also made it clear that it was ready to sit with the opposition on the reforms but would not wait for long before taking the matter to the joint session.

The government has constantly been advocating for electoral reforms, saying that the electoral system needs reforms to ensure free and fair elections and to strengthen democracy in the country.

The opposition parties, however, have given a cold shoulder to the government’s invitations, alleging that the government was not serious in the reforms, rather it only wanted to introduce the EVMs to “rig the next elections”.

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The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has long made its intentions clear that it would make all efforts to hold the 2023 general elections through the EVMs and give the overseas Pakistanis the right to vote.

Since the government would have an upper hand in the joint session, it is expected that it would be able to pass the bills and pave the way for holding the next general elections through the EVM and enable the overseas Pakistanis to exercise their right to franchise.

Earlier, the government had issued an ordinance, enabling the overseas Pakistanis to become part of the electoral process. However, the opposition had said that they would oppose the move tooth and nail on several grounds.

The opposition had argued how the mechanism would ensure integrity of the vote and how would political parties reach out to the overseas Pakistanis, who were spread around the globe as not all parties could reach them.