By: Mushtaq Ansari
There is always room for reform to make the democratic system as efficient and efficient as possible and to adapt it to the demands of the people. Although the 1973 constitution guarantees fair, transparent and fair elections, the country with a population of 220 million needs to amend electoral laws to meet changing requirements due to political inequalities and, in fact, the last general election. The trend of public disinterest has increased which is gradually reducing the turnover. This is not a good situation. Political parties need to think about this. The PTI government has set an agenda for electoral reforms in this regard, including amending Section 103 for the use of electronic voting machines, amending Section 94 to give Pakistanis abroad the right to vote, and the democratic process in political parties. Ensuring, amending the polling rules in view of some bitter experiences of the past and increasing the responsibilities of NADRA including delimitation. President Dr. Arif Alvi at a meeting on the use of emerging technology for internet voting in Islamabad on Thursday stressed the need to address the Election Commission’s concerns over amendments to electoral laws. He clarified that the final decision on the implementation of the electoral process would be taken by the Election Commission while the government agencies would provide assistance to make the reform process transparent. He said that in the light of the orders of the Supreme Court, the existing electoral laws need to be improved to give the right to vote to 9 million overseas Pakistanis. He stressed the need to improve coordination among partners to dispel misconceptions about the Internet voting facility for overseas Pakistanis. Meanwhile, during a briefing, Prime Minister Imran Khan also directed to complete the process of electoral reforms, electronic voting and granting of voting rights to overseas Pakistanis as soon as possible. “Overseas Pakistanis are our assets,” he said. We must involve them in the electoral process. Earlier, in a Twitter message, Prime Minister Imran Khan, referring to the US presidential election, said that former US President Donald Trump’s team did everything possible to make last year’s election controversial, but thanks to GEC technology, they There was no chance of any irregularity. Earlier last month, President Dr. Arif Alvi approved a presidential ordinance that would oblige the Election Commission of Pakistan to purchase electronic voting machines and allow Pakistanis abroad to exercise their voting right in the upcoming elections. Will be eligible. This is the first election in the country under the electronic system which has been rejected by the opposition. However, it is a matter of democratic values. Now the series of allegations of rigging should end after the election. In the best interest of the democratic process, the Election Commission is an independent and autonomous body with a complete administrative machinery. Electoral reform cannot be done by the government alone. It is necessary for all the political parties to sit at the same table with the Election Commission in the view that elections free from all doubts and all forms of interference are essential for national security.