Shazia Marri terms parliamentary committee on electoral reforms as illegal
KARACHI (May 19, 2021): Central Information Secretary Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians and MNA Shazia Atta Marri has said that the government has noeither invited the opposition parties to show a model of the electronic voting machine nor invited for any consultation process on election reforms.
In a statement issued here on Wednesday, PPP- Parliamentarians leader said that federal government is talking lies one after another and trying unsuccessfully to give the wrong impression of the opposition by making false statements۔
Shazia Marri said that the Speaker of National Assembly announced about the formation of parliamentary committee in the National Assembly, but surprisingly, the Speaker constituted a parliamentary committee but he did not take the Constitution into consideration while forming this committee and even completely ignored the rules and regulations of the National Assembly.
She pointed out that the formation of the parliamentary committee was not carried out through a motion or resolution in accordance with the Constitution of Pakistan and the rules of the National Assembly. Further added that Speaker National Assembly called on a few ministers to his room and announced the formation of parliamentary committee which is totally unconstitutional and illegal.
Surprisingly, this parliamentary committee is included a person who is not even a member of parliament. Shazia Marri said that the Speaker of the National Assembly cannot ignore the Constitution and the rules of the National Assembly on the orders of the Prime Minister so for this parliamentary committee is illegal and unconstitutional.
Shazia Marri said that government is also not looking serious on the issue of overseas Pakistani voting because even Imran Khan knows that the ordinance is not a permanent law but a temporary option.
She added that according to the constitution, the period of the ordinance is up to 120 days, which can only be extended for 120 days more, making a total of 240 days.
Shazia Marri reminded that at present moment, the PTI does not have the majority in the Senate to pass a law, so this ordinance has no significance because it is not a law, but unfortunately overseas Pakistanis are also being given lolipop.
Ms Marri said that election reforms is a very serious issue that requires collective thinking and consultation and government also ensures the participation of opposition parties in this process.
Referring to electronic voting machine she said that electronic voting machine’s is not today’s issue even before that, work was done on electronic voting machine under the PPP government and added that in this regard, NADRA also prepared a report in which detailed work was done regarding the inclusion of oversees Pakistanis in the voting process, but, perhaps Prime Minister did not read that report.
Ms Marri said that Election Commission of Pakistan has also expressed its serious concerns over electronic voting. We regret that the PTI government is making election reforms issue controversial and PPP condemns this frivolous attitude of the PTI government and we believed that the election process must be made transparent.
Shazia Marri said that PPP always supported a free, fair and transparent election which resulted the existence of a real government of the people and we understand that PTI government has their own nefarious intentions for which the whole drama is being created.
