ISLAMABAD: Rejecting the prime minister’s offer to discuss electoral reforms, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government should first accept responsibility for rigging elections in Gilgit-Baltistan and then talk about reforms.

“The PTI-led government should first accept responsibility for rigging elections in Gilgit-Baltistan and then talk about electoral reforms. This sudden interest in electoral reforms seems extremely dubious when all these years they have done nothing about it,” Parliamentary Leader of the PPP in the Senate, Senator Sherry Rehman stated on Wednesday.

She said, “The government openly violated election rules. According to the Election Act, 2017, the federal government is not allowed to campaign on the ground. On top of all this, the PM also decided to add to this flagrant rigging and misuse of federal resources by landing in GB to campaign few weeks ago. It is shocking that Form 45s were filled even before polling ending. This was blatant rigging by PTI.”

“A parliamentary committee was formed earlier for comprehensive reforms but instead of going through that, they are now talking about electoral reforms. This just reflects the federal government’s non-serious attitude. When it came to Kashmir or Gilgit-Baltistan, PM did not take the opposition into confidence but now he wants to talk to the opposition to get these reforms passed?” she questioned.

The PPP leader claimed that the PTI government was formed as a result of RTS failure. “They are unable to control inflation, how will they handle e-voting? There are reports that e-voting is prone to hacking and not completely secure. Accountability starts at home and the government should first focus on what they have done in the G-B elections before talking about reforms”.

She concluded by saying, “This government has no credibility. Tabahi sarkar is just finding ways to complicate and rig the elections. We are well aware of their intentions and incompetency”.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020