Govt to form joint parliamentary committee on EVMs

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has agreed over forming a joint parliamentary committee for negotiations with the Opposition on electoral reforms, ARY News reported citing sources.

The development came after Advisor to Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Babar Awan met with Prime Minister Imran Khan here in Islamabad on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser also telephoned Babar Awan to discuss the formation of a parliamentary committee on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), I-Voting and electoral reforms.

Sources said the committee will include the members from both sides of the aisle.

Earlier in the day, representatives of both the treasury and the opposition benches met in Islamabad with Speaker National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser in the chair.

In the meeting, the government and the opposition have agreed to constitute a parliamentary committee on electoral reforms.

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The committee will comprise members of the Senate and National Assembly. Separate motions will be tabled in both the Houses for the constitution of the parliamentary committee.

The committee, after reviewing proposals on electoral reforms, will submit its recommendations.

The meeting was attended by Ministers Shafqat Mahmood and Pervez Khattak, MNAs Ms. Shahida Akhtar Ali, Syed Naveed Qamar, Murtaza Javed Abbasi and Rana Tanveer Hussain.