President Alvi refuses to sign election reforms bill.

President Dr Arif Alvi on Sunday returned unsigned a bill seeking to reverse the controversial changes made in election laws by the previous PTI government regarding the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and i-voting for overseas Pakistanis, saying that the proposed reversals were "regressive" in nature.

The bill, along with the one on NAB amendments, was passed by the National Assembly and Senate last month. After its approval from both houses, only the president's assent was required for it to become law. However, Alvi sent back the bills, following which the government convened a joint sitting of the NA and Senate on June 9 to consider the bills, which were approved the same day.

Procedurally, after bills are passed by the joint sitting, they are presented to the president once again for his assent. If the president does not give his approval within 10 days, it will be deemed to have been given.

Despite that, Alvi sent back the elections reform bill today, unsigned.

In a statement issued by the President's Secretariat, Dr Alvi said that he had not signed the bill "despite the fact, that the Constitution that he upholds, will make it into law".

Elaborating on why he did not sign it, he said he had been pursuing the issues of EVMs and voting for overseas Pakistanis with all governments, in parliament and with the Supreme Court for over a decade.

He referred to Article 75 (2) of the Constitution of Pakistan which states: 'When the President has returned a Bill to the Majlis-e Shoora (Parliament), it shall be reconsidered by the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) in joint sitting and, if it is again passed, with or without amendment, by the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament), by the votes of the majority of the members of both Houses present and voting, it shall be deemed for the purposes of the Constitution to have been passed by both Houses and shall be presented to the President, and the President shall give his assent within ten days, failing which such assent shall be deemed to have been given.'

Dr Alvi said that it had been "very painful" for him to not sign a bill passed by the Parliament and wanted to "record his reasons for posterity".

"The President said that besides the proposed laws' regressive nature that he pointed out in detail when he referred the bill back to Parliament, he strongly believes that technology today, especially with EVMs when used judiciously contains many solutions that reduce the impact of confusion, discord and...