ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) has once again rejected the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government's electoral reforms, terming the reforms package as a plan to steal the next general elections.
A meeting of the PDM's steering committee was held here on Saturday to discuss the future course of action of the alliance of the opposition parties minus Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Awami National Party (ANP).
Talking to reporters after the meeting, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, secretary-general of the PDM, said that the meeting once again rejected the government's unilateral electoral reforms, adding that all the parties in the alliance have termed the unilateral electoral reforms as an effort to steal the next general election.
"These [reforms] are only a way to provide a tool for stealing the elections. The whole process is based on ill intention and the parties in the alliance once again reiterated that it is a plan aimed at plundering the right to vote of the people," he maintained.
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Abbasi further said that the PDM has given an idea of "Charter of Pakistan" six months back and it was decided to finalise the charter in six weeks by constituting a committee.
He said that the "charter", once finalised, will be presented before the leadership.
He said that the charter is aimed at bringing the "real parliamentary democracy" in the country and resolving the problems of the people.
He said that the PDM has also decided to release a "white paper" on the three-year of the PTI government in power, so that "to get the people know about the corruption, bad governance and incompetence" of the government during the past three years.
Through the "white paper", he added that the PDM would also get the nation know about the "so-called" accountability process, adding that it a process to persecute the opposition politicians and to hide the corruption of the prime minister, his ministers and the chief ministers.
To a question, he said that JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has congratulated the Taliban on behalf of his own party after the group took over the Kabul, adding that PML-N's position on the situation in Afghanistan has already been explained by party president Shehbaz Sharif.
PDM rejects govt’s ‘unilateral’ electoral reforms
He said that Afghanistan is a neighbouring country and it had been under war for the last 20 years and now the Taliban have taken over the country.
"What would be the policy of Pakistan on Afghanistan's situation, it has to be the parliament to give the country's policy," he said, adding that it was important to convene the joint sitting of the parliament to devise a consensus policy on Afghanistan.
Abbasi further stated that the press freedom is being under attack through bringing new laws, besides the undue intervention in the judiciary.
"These matters are not only a source of concern, but also a moment of shame for the whole country," he maintained.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021