Govt to form parliamentary committee for electoral reforms

ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to constitute a high-level parliamentary committee to prepare a comprehensive electoral reforms package to ensure rigging-free elections in the country.

An official source told The News here on Thursday that the parliamentary committee would include representatives of all the political parties in proportion to their representation in parliament. It would be an influential committee like the one assigned the task of recommending the 18th Amendment by the previous parliament.

Although, most of the political parties had complaints about rigging in the last year elections, it was the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf that has agitated the issue most and recently even started street protests and public rallies to get the electoral process reformed.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan not only seeks the reformation of the electoral process but has also demanded of the removal of all members of the present Election Commission of Pakistan. The PTI wants the constitution of a new commission.

Different political parties, including the PPP, have endorsed the PTI’s demand but they want to address the issue within parliament instead of taking it to the streets. The PTI strategy, however, seems to have worked as the government is now going to set up the parliamentary committee for electoral reforms.

It is expected that like Senator Raza Rabbani-led parliamentary committee for the 18th Amendment, the electoral reforms committee would also prepare a comprehensive electoral reforms package with consensus.

Although, generally the blame is placed on the ECP for electoral rigging in the last elections, the outgoing parliament has had its major share in this situation as it had blocked critically- important ECP legislation, which had sought empowerment of the Election Commission of Pakistan on the lines of the Indian model.

The legislative bill was referred to parliament in February 2013 for enactment but it did not give it a serious thought.During the last one year, none of the political parties in the present parliament has bothered to take it up for consideration either in the National Assembly or in the Senate.

The bill, which was approved by the ECP under the then Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G Ebrahim, had mainly sought the empowerment of the ECP to transfer or suspend any officer, including the chief secretary or the inspector general of police, in case such an officer was found involved in meddling in election affairs or creating hurdles in holding of elections in a free, fair and independent manner.

The bill had also proposed 30-day scrutiny period but even this was not allowed by the previous parliament. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had approved a 30-day scrutiny period for nomination papers of candidates to ensure that frauds, fake degree holders, tax and utility bill defaulters and other cheats are barred from contesting the next polls by cross checking their credentials from the concerned authorities.

To ensure true representation of the people, the legislative bill had also recommended that the winners in elections must bag 50 percent of the total votes cast. The fines for violation of the code of conduct were also proposed to be increased manifold. For instance, Rs100,000 fine was recommended to be imposed on a voter casting a bogus vote. Those committing election forgery were also recommended to pay a fine of Rs100,000 and face up to five-year imprisonment.The present system is also short of any mechanism for the implementation of articles 62 and 63 to ensure that only the persons of character could get into parliament.

PTI, PAT, PML-Q leaders may form alliance

 

LONDON: Leaders of three parties have gathered in London giving rise to speculation that the stage is being prepared for an anti-government alliance between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and Pakistan Muslim League-Q.
PTI Chairman Imran Khan and Pakistan Muslim League leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain arrived in London on Wednesday afternoon almost at the same time.

The PML-Q as a political unit has no presence in Britain because all the units defected to the PML-N but an aide of Chaudhry Shujaat said that Chaudhry was in contact with Imran Khan’s party and during his stay in London would like to meet Altaf Hussain as well.

He said a meeting with Dr Qadri and Imran Khan was on the cards but didn’t say when and where. He said the PML-Q will join any party that supports mid-term elections and ouster of the current government.

Speaking to ‘The News’ late on Thursday evening, PML-Q leader Chaudhry Shujaat confirmed that he will be meeting Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri along with his party delegation.

He said: “We have deep relations with each other and we will be meeting Dr Qadri. Our agenda is one point: betterment of Pakistan and empowerment of democracy. We agree with each other that the current government has failed and new alliances need to be made. We will release more details tomorrow after the meeting.”

On Thursday afternoon, PAT leader Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri also reached London unannounced. It’s the timing of Dr Qadri’s arrival that is of importance because the PAT sources had earlier said that he would be arriving here in the second week of June.

His party spokesman said that Dr Qadri had arrived in London for “medical check-up” although Dr Qadri himself has said that he prefers to live in Toronto, Canada, for medical reasons. A senior leader of PAT confirmed in a twitter message that PTI, PAT and PML-Q chiefs will “finalise anti-govt strategies in London” but later on retracted it.

When contacted by the News, a PAT source said that a meeting was likely and the three parties were in contact but “nothing is finalised yet”.

Dr Qadri was scheduled to reach London in June from Toronto and then fly out from here to Pakistan for what’s now called the “Shahadat Proof Bunker Dherna” but his sudden arrival in London means that he was asked to arrive for talks while the like-minded leaders were also around.

The PAT source said that all the three parties agreed on the need to launch a movement against the PML-N government. “The mandate of this government is fake and it needs to be ousted. We are contacting all the parties in this regard.”

A PTI source said that Imran Khan was in London to spend time with his two sons and “also to attend a fundraiser for the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital on Saturday”. He didn’t deny that a meeting might take place between the three parties.

Some sources have said that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) will also be taken into confidence and Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri will lead the efforts to bring the MQM on board.

“Dr Qadri is very close to the MQM and Altaf Hussain is his key supporter and has supported Dr Qadri whenever his campaign related to Punjab where both have a common enemy in the shape of the PML-N. Imran Khan and Shujaat also have the same agenda against the PML-N. Their alliance is natural. They have been once key allies of Pervez Musharraf and all of them benefitted from Musharraf in one way or the other. Pervez Musharraf needs them more than ever. This government needs to be brought under pressure to provide an exit route to Musharraf and that will happen when there is a grand opposition alliance in place as a cover,” said a source familiar with the London developments.

The MQM will have no issue giving its support to an opposition alliance as far as it concerns agitation in Punjab and in any case a movement against the PML-N government only benefits the MQM.Reports said that Chaudary Pervaiz Elahi has also been called to London.