Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Saturday termed the government’s proposed electoral reforms, including the use of the electronic voting machine (EVM), as “unilateral” and “in contradiction with the Constitution and laws”.
Abbasi expressed these remarks while speaking to the media after the meeting of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance of opposition parties, in Islamabad.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Imran Khan had invited the opposition parties to hold talks with the government on electoral reforms as it had decided in principle to use EVMs in the next general elections in 2023.
“The prime minister has categorically told the cabinet that all stakeholders should be consulted for finalising electoral reforms as the use of EVMs is imperative for holding free, fair, transparent and dispute-free elections,” Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry had said.
On Saturday, Abbasi said, “All the parties [in the PDM] have once again rejected the unilateral electoral reforms today as they are tantamount to rid people of their freedom of speech.”
Prime Minister Imran Khan had suggested the use of EVM in the general elections of 2023.
Abbasi further said that the current government is involved in corruption and the PDM plans to present a white paper on the current government’s performance over the past three years in order to expose it.
“The proof is in front of the people. We will present a white paper regarding this after collecting all the facts,” he said.
He added that the accountability process that the PTI government has started is actually a way to distract the people. He also made an allegation that there had been attempts to rig all elections.
Lastly, he mentioned PDM’s executive committee will reveal its schedule for countrywide rallies on August 28.
