Democracy begins with free and fair elections, says PM Imran in ‘enlightening’ session for lawmakers on EVMs

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday pressed members of the parliament to keep striving for the introduction of electronic voting machines (EVMs) for the next polls, saying free and fair elections leads to beginning of democracy.

Addressing lawmakers from the ruling party and its allies in Islamabad, the prime minister stressed upon the parliamentarians to consider taking part in legislation process [with regard to electoral reforms] in an upcoming parliament session as "jihad".

He also took exception to opposition parties resisting electoral reforms and called them "a breed of the corrupt system". He said his party wanted a "better Pakistan" for generations to come.

He pointed out that reforms were always resisted by people with vested interests. He stressed that the PTI had nothing to gain from open ballot in Senate polls and introduction of EVMs for the next elections.

"Until we lift our moral values, we cannot progress. No nation could ever become a great nation if it lacked a fair justice system," he told the gathering.

The premier also called out the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for "hatching propaganda" against the use of EVMs.

He recalled that videos of the recent Senate elections showed some members were openly receiving bribes. "But, neither the ECP did something nor the government."

The prime minister said elections held in the country since 1970 were all "controversial", adding that the losing side never accepted the results.

"It's the government that has to introduce reforms. We staged a sit-in for 128 days because we wanted the next elections to be fair. But the then government refused to audit four constituencies, whose election results were later found to be doctored," he said.

Imran said his government decided to introduce EVMs after detailed deliberations to do away with systematic manipulations prevalent in the election process for decades.

Joint session of parliament postponed

Meanwhile, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said on Wednesday evening that the joint session of Parliament, that was originally scheduled for tomorrow, had been postponed.

Taking to Twitter after the premier spoke to parliamentarians, the minister said that electoral reforms were connected to the country's future.

"We are working in good faith to reach a consensus on this issue. In this regard, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser has once again been asked to get in touch with the opposition so that a bill on electoral reforms can be introduced," he said.

He added the joint session of Parliament was being postponed for this purpose. "We hope that the opposition will seriously consider these crucial reforms so that we can come up with a strategy for the country's future," he said, adding that the government will not back down from poll reforms until this happens.

from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/30cooXR