Pakistan to adopt electronic voting system, says Imran Khan
Says govt wants voting right for overseas Pakistanis: Wants Senate elections by show of hands instead of secret balloting
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Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday announced electoral reforms aimed at bringing together a transparent election system in the country that everyone can trust, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
The electoral reforms include introducing electronic voting along with providing around nine million overseas Pakistanis the right to vote. The voting for Senate elections will now take place by show of hands instead of secret balloting.
Electronic voting
The Prime Minister said after reviewing various polling systems around the world the PTI government has come to a conclusion that electronic voting is the best system to conduct polling so that there would be no difference of opinion once the results are announced.
Addressing a nation on electoral reforms after chairing a meeting in Islamabad, Imran Khan said “We want to introduce the electronic voting because we want such a system where after results come the losers and winners must accept the outcome of the general election,” he added.
Senate elections reforms
The Prime Minister also announced Senate elections reforms. “It means the government needs opposition support and that will clear everything whether they wanted electoral reforms or not.”
“Everybody says that Senate elections are always rigged and how MPAs from smaller provinces are bribed for supporting and casting votes. The government is going to introduce constitutional amendments for show of hands voting instead of secret balloting.”
The Prime Minister said PTI had kicked out 20 MPs from the party just because they were involved in selling votes,” Imran Khan said.
Overseas Pakistanis
The Prime Minister emphasizing on the potential and right to cast a vote for overseas Pakistan said that the PTI government is working to provide the right to cast ballots for overseas Pakistanis. “I want overseas people, which are real assets of the country, to have representation in general elections,” he maintained.
The Prime Minister who himself spent 18 years of his life abroad has remained a strong supporter to provide the right of vote to expatriate Pakistanis.
“All political parties termed 2013 general elections were rigged, after those elections PTI asked for recounting of four constituencies just because we wanted the 2018 elections transparent, free and fair,” Imran Khan said.
“There were 133 discrepancies in 2013 general elections in comparison to 2018 general elections in which only 102 people complained of rigging,” Imran Khan said.
There were only 24 complaints by opposition parties PPP (9) and PML-N (15) while PTI submitted 23 applications before the Election Commissions of Pakistan (ECP) against the rigging in 2018 general elections, he explained.
“PPP lost three seats with a margin of less than three thousand votes and PML-N lost nine seats with same margin in comparison to PTI that lost 13 National Assembly seats against less than 3,000 votes,” he added
He cited his cricket experience as how he campaigned for a neutral umpire in the cricket world and then defeated India in her country.
The PM praised the role of Pervaiz Khattak in the Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms in which according to the Prime Minister, the Opposition parties backed out from electoral reforms.
Gilgit Baltistan
Imran Khan announced these electoral reforms just after the Gilgit Baltistan general elections conducted peacefully with the ruling PTI taking majority seats.
Imran Khan vowed to fulfill promise with the Gilgit Baltistan people and announced to make GB a province. He thanked GB people for expressing trust in his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
“The PTI government will work now to give provisional provincial status to GB in the framework of United Nations resolutions and to utilize the potential of GB in a bid to bring prosperity in the region,” Imran Khan said.