Reforms initiative should be ECP’s job, says Khaqan Abbasi

Former prime minister and senior leader of PML-N Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that introduction of the electronic voting system in the country is the jurisdiction of the election commission and not that of a bunch of government’s few “circus players”, reported 24NewsHD TV channel. 

Talking to media men in Lahore on Tuesday, Mr Abbasi said that Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) would create lots of problems. He said it was not the government’s prerogative to introduce an electoral voting system rather it was the Election Commission of Pakistan’s job. He derided the government team supporting the launch of the EVM system terming them circus players who did not have the authority to perform this task. 

The country does not need electoral reforms, Abbasi said adding it’s not government or parliament’s job to initiate EVM system. He said the country needed only one reform i.e. reform (amendment) in Constitution. 

He demanded the installation of cameras in courts so that people could watch what NAB was doing in the court. 

See Also: Let NAB amend its laws, if ECP is to introduce electoral reforms: Fawad

On rising inflation, the PML-N leader castigated the government. He said in reality government was doing accountability of people. Electricity has become 200% expensive, he maintained. 

Mr Abbasi said Prime Minister Imran Khan promised that he himself would monitor the prices of daily commodities in Ramazan. But the fact is, the prices of eatables have risen 15% in the month of April, he said and added flour prices had doubled. 

He asked the premier to stop monitoring the prices because “whatever commodity, the PM monitors, its price goes up”. 

The PML-N leader said that premier had not taken any action to bring sugar prices down. He said electricity prices went up 200% in three years of PTI tenure. He lamented nobody was responsible for skyrocketing power tariff, adding that circular debt had touch such heights which was becoming unbearable. 

On 249 by-polls recounting process,  the PML-N leader said his party wanted army supervision because it believed that police had become party to the crime of vote rigging that’s why army’s involvement would lend credibility to the process. 

He was of the view that Shehbaz Sharif neither formed Pakistan Democratic Movement nor broke it.