Parliamentary Committee Nears Completion of Electoral Reforms Work

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar disclosed that the parliamentary committee on electoral reforms has almost concluded its tasks after three consecutive days of discussions. He expressed confidence that a consensus proposal will be finalized by next week.

In a post-meeting briefing with journalists, Tarar shared that about 99% of the tasks had been accomplished, with only a few clauses needing further deliberation. He confirmed that all parties had accepted the suggested amendments.

While Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf raised some objections, Tarar believed these issues could be resolved shortly. The government intends to modify the election laws and is expected to present a bill during the assembly’s farewell session later this month.

Finalizing the Draft and Addressing Contentious Issues

The draft law is under review by the special parliamentary committee on electoral reforms, chaired by former National Assembly speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. The committee aimed to finalize a draft proposing significant amendments to election laws.

However, Tarar mentioned that contentious matters requiring additional discussions would be addressed on Monday, leading to a consensus draft bill to enhance transparency in electoral procedures. He appreciated the consensus achieved during the meeting on matters previously disagreed upon.

Tarar also noted that the committee had already discarded the proposal to delegate authority to dissolve a party or the membership of a party member from the Supreme Court to the parliament. Senator Syed Ali Zafar of PTI informed the panel that he would offer his suggestions on the remaining matters soon.

Tarar emphasized that the unresolved issues were not political but legal and technical. A meeting attendee informed that the pending matters included evaluating the pros and cons of the postal ballot and deciding on the need for a poll code of conduct.

Pending Matters and Participation in the Meeting

The individual noted that the Supreme Court, which is not within its jurisdiction, had previously framed the code of conduct. Regarding the proposal to dissolve the National and provincial assemblies before their term expiry, he clarified that it was a political decision and the committee was only reviewing the proposed changes to the Elections Act.

The closed-door meeting of the parliamentary committee also welcomed the attendance of Commerce Minister Naveed Qamar, Senator Taj Haider, MNA Afzal Dhandla, Senator Manzoor Ahmed, Senator Kamran Murtaza, Dr Fehmida Mirza, and the Election Commission’s secretary. Senator Syed Ali Zafar of PTI joined via video link.