Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz Wednesday said the government is making efforts that all elections, including the general and Senate, are held in a transparent manner.
Addressing a news conference after the weekly federal cabinet meeting, he said Prime Minister Imran Khan pointed out that after the 1970 election, there had always been objections about the electoral process. He recalled that the electoral reforms were carried out in 2017 but the committee headed by Ishaq Dar ignored the issue of electronic voting. “We want that the elections should be transparent and impartial,” he said, adding the overseas Pakistanis are rendering great services for Pakistan, besides sending substantial foreign remittances. In the next elections, he said, the overseas Pakistanis would be given the opportunity of electronic voting so that they could have a voice and could participate in the country’s polling process.
He said the case for transparency in the Senate elections was also in the Supreme Court. “Now the nation knew who wants elections on the basis of merit and capability and who wants the past practice of use of money to continue,” he commented.
About the government efforts for bringing about transparency in the electoral process, the minister said that PTI and its government has been striving since long for this purpose but the opposition, which has similar stance, is opposing all such initiatives, showing its double standard. Shibli said the government would try that the next general elections should be held, using the electronic voting machines and giving representation to the overseas Pakistanis as well.
Replying to another question, the minister clarified that at the time of no-confidence vote against incumbent chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani, he was Leader of the House and knew that the chairman had personal relations with senators and they voted for him. He said the opposition had just resorted to rhetoric instead of forming committee like PTI and finding out who had crossed the party line whereas the PTI sent its 20 MPAs home for violation of party discipline. He asked why the opposition did not do so, adding that it showed that the opposition’s conduct was hypocritical.
Asked about nomination of Federal Minister Faisal Vawda for the Senate elections, facing a disqualification case in the Election Commission of Pakistan, the minister said that the matter is yet to be decided but the party leadership has decided to give him representation in the Senate for PTI has less members who can speak in a bold manner like him.
Shibli Faraz said the prime minister took strict notice of the increasing incidents of sexual crimes against women and children despite the passage of Zainab Alert Bill, and issued a direction to the relevant authorities to take measures to stop such incidents.
Replying to questions of media persons, Shibli Faraz said that Prime Minister Imran Khan directed the Minister for Law to immediately reactivate the bill on the issue of missing persons, as now after drastic fall in terrorist acts, the issue ought to be redressed. He said that the issue was raised in the Cabinet by Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari, who gave a complete perspective with regards to the proposed legislation.
