ISLAMABAD: Opposition political parties have decided to convene an all-parties conference (APC) on the ‘controversial’ election bill recently passed by the National Assembly amid opposition’s strong protest. The decision to convene the APC was made following telephonic contacts of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president and opposition leader in the National Assembly with various opposition leaders including Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
The PML-N sources told Business Recorder that party president Shehbaz Sharif held telephonic contacts with Bilawal and the JUI-F chief who is also chief of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and discussed with them, the opposition’s joint strategy against the election bill – the Elections (Second Amendment) Act, 2021.
They said that the PML-N president floated the idea of calling an APC of the opposition political parties to chalk out a joint strategy against the “controversial” bill, which was agreed upon by the opposition leaders during the telephonic conversation. They said that the date and venue of the APC would soon be announced, adding that representatives of the independent think tanks, observing elections in the country, would also be invited for giving their input.
According to a brief statement issued by the media office of the PPP, the party chairman received a telephonic call from Shehbaz Sharif in which they held detailed deliberations on the proposed electoral reforms.
The ruling government on June 10, 2021, hurriedly passed the Elections (Second Amendment) Act, 2021 and the Elect Amendment) Bill, 2020 among others from the National Assembly, despite the opposition’s strong protest. Both the bills are aimed at utilisation of technology and modern gadgets, including electronic voting machines (EVMs) for casting of votes in the general elections as well as giving right to vote to the overseas Pakistanis.
Through a letter on Friday, the PML-N president and leader of the opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif also urged the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Sikandar Sultan Raja, to invite all the opposition parties for consultation to ascertain inclusivity and consensus over electoral reforms to ensure that future elections are fair, transparent and reflect the genuine will of the electorate. He said that the present government's “unilateral” actions to force its electoral reforms agenda without any consultation with the stakeholders, which conflicts with many constitutional provisions, will make future elections controversial.
He pointed out that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has itself expressed serious concerns regarding the recent election bills bulldozed through the National Assembly in an objectionable manner. “Any election-related legislation must be based on broad-based consensus. For meaningful electoral reforms, institutions have to ensure stakeholders' input and ownership,” he stressed, adding that the spirit of upholding the constitution must be at the center of the reform plan.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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