Sarwar urges opposition to give suggestions for electoral reforms

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan Saturday urged the opposition to submit their suggestions for electoral reforms to hold the next general elections through an electronic voting system and granting the right of vote to overseas Pakistanis.

Addressing a press conference here at his camp office, Sarwar thanked the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) for showing their trust in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) through their votes, which resulted in the PTI’s electoral victory.

He congratulated all successful candidates in the AJK election and said that the PTI has emerged as a “symbol of the federation” with representation in all parts of the country.

The minister said that the PPP now has reduced into a party of the interior Sindh, while PML-N had also lost its political grip in Central Punjab as the results of bye-elections in Punjab and Kashmir reflected the trend of future politics.

Sarwar said that the people of Pakistan including AJK and GB had rejected the narrative adopted by Marryam Nawaz in the latest elections as she did not speak a single word against the atrocities of the Modi government towards the innocent Kashmiris during the AJK election campaign.

The federal minister, while commenting on the recent developments in the neighbouring country, said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had taken a clear stance on the Afghanistan issue, adding Pakistan would not become a party in the internal affairs of any country.

He said that economic development and peace in Pakistan were linked with peace in Afghanistan and “we want a stable, peaceful and developed Afghanistan”.

The minister said that India had failed to isolate Pakistan from the peace process in Afghanistan, while the world had recognised the role of Pakistan and the forum comprising the USA, Russia, and China including Pakistan would pave the way for stability in Afghanistan.

Replying to a question, he said there was no policy in place to privatise the PIA, while four new aircrafts would be inducted in the national flag carrier this year to make the PIA a profitable organisation.

He said that those involved in the ring road scandal would be dealt with according to the law.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021