Govt to introduce electronic voting system in Pakistan, announces PM Khan
- By Web Desk -
- Nov 17, 2020
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Tuesday announced to introduce electronic voting system to ensure fair and transparent polls in the country.
“Talks are underway with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for E-voting in the country”, Prime Minister Imran Khan said in his address to the nation over electoral reforms.
He invited the opposition parties to join hands in legislations for the electoral reforms in Pakistan so that no one can raise allegations on the transparency of the polls in the future.
The premier said Senate and AJK polls are right on the corner and underlined the need for constitutional amendments to allow Senate elections via a show of hand.
Recalling the 2013 general elections, he said that all political parties raised allegations of rigging. PML-N alleged polls were rigged in Sindh, while PPP called the 2013 general elections as ‘RO elections.
He said PTI demanded to reopen four constituencies in the 2013 elections just to ensure transparency of the next election [2018] but was denied.
Read more: PM Khan sets three-month deadline for imposition of electoral reforms: sources
“As many as 133 people filed rigging pleas in 2013 general elections, while in 2018 the number was reduced to 102.”
The PM said only 1970 general polls are regarded as fair and transparent in the country’s history in which the opposition accepted their defeat.
He said a committee was formed under the head of Federal Minister Pervez Khattak over rigging allegations in 2018GE, which was attended by the opposition parties only at once, and then their leaders skipped the meetings.
PM Khan invited the opposition parties to come forward and join hands with the federal government for electoral reforms.
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He also thanked the people of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) for bestowing their confidence in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the general elections. PM Khan vowed to fulfill the promise of giving provisional provincial status to GB he made during a public gathering in the region.