President Refuses To Sign Election Reforms Bill.

ISLAMABAD -- In a major setback to the government on legislation front, President Dr Arif Alvi has once again returned the Elections (Amendment) EVM/OP Bill 2022 unsigned after citing certain reasons for not signing the bill which was passed by joint session of the Parliament.

In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, the President said that it has been very painful for him as 'President of Pakistan' not to sign a bill passed by the Majlis-e-Shoora. Therefore, he must record his reasons for posterity. The president observed that he had not signed the bill despite the fact, that the constitution that he upheld would make it into law.

The president said that he had been pursuing the issue of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and Overseas Pakistanis Voting (OP) with all the governments, in the parliament, as well as at the Supreme Court of Pakistan since more than a decade.

In this regard, the President referred to Article 75 (2) of Constitution of Pakistan which said '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...