The Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms has been unable to complete its recommendations in the stipulated 90 days. It has now decided to seek approval for an extension in its term from Parliament. The Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms was given 90 days to complete its work, which will expire on October 23. The Committee has received hundreds of suggestions and recommendations from civil society, Election Commission of Pakistan and Parliamentarians and is still in the process of compiling them for a discussion.
The Committee has met nine times to date and has approved its Terms of Reference (ToRs) and received proposals and recommendations. A member of the Committee Senator Colonel Tahir Hussain Mashhadi (Retd) of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) told Business Recorder that hundreds of proposals and recommendations have been received from various national and internationals organisations, standing committees of the National Assembly and Senate. He said the Committee has assigned its staff to compile these suggestions and recommendations in the shape of a draft. He said that a copy of the draft would be provided to every member of the Committee for review and later it would be discussed in Committee meetings and amendments and new proposals may be added to the final version, he said.
He said that a legislation would be made for amendments in the Constitution and new laws for administrative purposes. He said that three months is a very short period for the Committee and added that "we will extend it after the approval of Parliament by moving a motion in the house. MQM wants amendments in the Constitution to make it mandatory to hold local bodies elections before general elections".
Answering another question, the MQM leader said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members did not attend any meeting of the Committee. He said that the Committee was constituted on PTI's demands but its members are not attending meetings. Sahibzada Tariq Ullah of Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), another member of the Committee, told Business Recorder that the Committee has received more than 500 proposals and recommendations which are being compiled. He said that a draft of these recommendations would be discussed in the next meeting of the Committee scheduled to be held on October 20.
The JI leader said that three types of proposals are being considered: (i) process before holding elections, eg, declaration of assets of a candidate, nomination papers, polling booths, security, financial matters relating to election campaign of a candidates etc; (ii) during elections, eg, powers of election commission and returning officers; and (iii) after election, eg, judicial process and role of election tribunals.
He added that it is not impossible for the Committee to finalise its recommendations within three months. He said that time period has to be extended for the formulation of recommendations. He said that PTI members are not attending the meetings of the Committee; however, Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed has attended two meetings. While talking to Business Recorder, Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao said that the staff of the Committee has given the task to categorise the recommendations received from those outside the committee. He said that the Committee would discuss the recommendations and finalise them for a legislation.
A six-member sub-committee of the Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms has also been constituted to examine different electoral laws. The sub-committee will review the legal and constitutional issues that need to be amended for electoral reforms. The sub-committee comprises Aitzaz Ahsan, Mian Raza Rabbani, Farooq H Naek, Minister of Science and Technology Zahid Hamid, Minister of State for Information Technology Ms Anusha Rehman and Haji Adeel. The subcommittee will work simultaneously with the committee and review the legal and constitutional issues that need to be amended for electoral reforms.
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