Prime Minister Imran Khan maintains that he wants to introduce reforms in the electoral system so that there are no complaints of rigging as in the past. For reforms to be non-controversial, these should have been thoroughly debated in Parliament. What happened was the opposite. At a time when the opposition had boycotted the National Assembly sitting, 21 bills including the one on EVMs and i-voting, were bulldozed through the National Assembly in a travesty of parliamentary norms.
Claiming to have a majority in Parliament, Adviser to the Prime Minister Babar Awan has now announced that the government would get the legislation on the use of EVMs and i-voting for the overseas Pakistanis passed by the end of this year even without the opposition’s support. In case the opposition-dominated Senate failed to approve the bill, it would be taken to the joint sitting of Parliament for approval.
The ECP maintains that principally it is in favour of the use of technology but stresses that technology must be developed keeping in view the ground realities besides enjoying the confidence of all stakeholders, including political parties, civil society and voters. The government however maintains that once the law was passed by Parliament, the ECP will have to conduct elections accordingly.
It appears that the government is not interested in enacting the electoral reforms through consensus but through diktat. While claiming to introduce measures that would make the election results acceptable to all, the government has ended up with making the elections to be held two years hence already controversial. Instead of testing the EVMs during the by elections and the LG elections to remove any possible shortcomings and creating public confidence in them, the government is bent upon holding the 2023 elections with the EVMs and i-voting.
The government’s critics maintain that after failing to fulfil promises like five million houses, 10 million jobs, reducing prices and service charges and ending corruption, the government is scared of losing the elections. The EVMs and i-voting are supposed to help the government undertake large scale rigging
With the opposition engrossed in infighting and unable to stop the government from getting its desired legislation through, the PTI may hold elections of its choice. But instead of the results uniting the nation, these would lead to further confrontation and unrest.
