PML-N, PPP doubt govt's electoral reforms plan.

Byline: Amir Wasim

ISLAMABAD -- Although the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) seem to be divided over the government's proposal to hold the Senate elections through an open vote, the two parties are found to be united in criticising the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) for making its proposed electoral reforms public through the media.

The leaders of the opposition parties also questioned the mandate of the parliamentary committee which, according to them, had actually been constituted to investigate the charges of rigging in the July 2018 general elections.

Speaking at a news conference last week, Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood and Minister for Narcotics Control Azam Swati had announced a number of proposed changes to the Constitution and laws to reform the electoral process with the main suggestion of holding the Senate elections through an open vote instead of the current method of secret balloting.

According to them, the proposals had already been placed before the federal cabinet for approval after which these would be presented before parliament in the form of bills.

Criticise PTI for making its proposal public through media

The two ministers were members of a special parliamentary committee constituted by National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser in October 2018 on the opposition's demand to probe charges of rigging in the elections held in July that year. The committee, however, failed to complete its task for a number of reasons, forcing the opposition parties to finally announce its boycott of the committee in June last year. The committee and a couple of sub-committees, however, continued to function and prepared recommendations to introduce electoral reforms.

The ministers had stated that the efforts would be made for evolving a broad-based consensus among all political parties on electoral reforms.

The government has proposed changes to laws at a time when the Senate elections are about eight months away. The purpose of conducting the Senate elections through an open vote, according to the PTI, is to end horse-trading and the use of money in the process.

When contacted, PML-N parliamentary leader in the Senate Mushahidullah Khan doubted the intentions of the government and questioned the mandate of the parliamentary committee which had proposed the electoral reforms.

He said the people in the government were 'inexperienced and incapable' and they did not know as to how the important and sensitive matters such as electoral reforms should be handled. Mr...