Islamabad (August 22, 2017): The National Assembly (NA) on Tuesday approved the Electoral Reforms Bill 2017, rejecting Pakistan Tehreeke-e-Insaf’s (PTI) amendment recommendations.
The NA received around 150 amendments proposed by political parties for the bill.
The house adopted amendments moved by the Law Minister including those having concurrence of the opposition members while other amendments of the opposition benches were rejected.
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The bill consolidates eight election laws that would stand repealed once it becomes an act of parliament.
The reforms proposed in the bill include financial and administrative autonomy for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The bill envisages that citizens getting computerized National Identity Card from NADRA would automatically become voters.
The National Assembly on Tuesday adopted Election Bill 2017 envisaging wide-ranging reforms aimed at ensuring free, fair and transparent conduct of elections.
Enabling provisions have been made for the Election Commission to conduct pilot project for utilization of Electronic Voting Machines and Biometric Verification and voting by Overseas Pakistanis.
Maximum limit of election expenses has been rationalized. New limits for expenses are 1.5 million rupees for election to a seat of Senate; four million for a seat of National Assembly and two million rupees for a seat of provincial assembly.
Under the bill, functions of the Caretaker Government have been confined to day to day, routine, non-controversial matters and shall not take major policy decisions except of urgent nature.
Political parties are required to allot at least five percent tickets against general seats to female candidates.
An amendment proposed by PTI, to allow overseas Pakistanis to vote in the general elections was rejected, which drew sharp criticism from the opposition party.
“Overseas Pakistanis have as much right to vote as those living in Pakistan,” PTI leader Shafqat Mehmood said while addressing the media outside the assembly. “Despite our efforts, no action was taken to register overseas Pakistanis.”
Mehmood further stated that biometric verification is absolutely necessary but ‘it was deliberately slowed down and no real efforts were made to take the process ahead.’
The PTI leader, in his media address, said biometric identification was ‘doable,’ as telecommunication companies and multinationals have managed to implement the process but the ruling party, despite its ‘tall claims’ didn’t do anything.
“We voted against the bill and boycotted it because the proposed amendments are vital for the elections,” the PTI leader said.
Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid, in a media address outside the Parliament House said, “The National Assembly has passed a historic bill.”
“The positive aspect of this bill is that we have formed rules in collaboration with the Election Commission,” Hamid said. “We now have an election manual, and the elections won’t be delayed.”
He added that holding fair elections is the main purpose of the Electoral Reforms Bill 2017 for which, over 1200 recommendations were received from the public and lawmakers.
“We were unable to give overseas Pakistanis the right to vote,” he said, adding that electronic voting machines also failed during their test run in by-elections.
Earlier, at the start of the session, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah lashed out at the low presence of lawmakers in the lower house of Parliament.
Shah, a member of the Pakistan Peoples Party, said he was ashamed to see such a low level of attendance in the assembly today, when the lawmakers were expected to discuss the Electoral Reforms Bill 2017.
He said when the prime minister comes to attend the assembly session, others follow suit.
Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, on the advice of Shah, the chief whip of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Sheikh Aftab Ahmed issued directives to bring the backbenchers to the front.
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