Pakistanis have once again pinned their hopes on JUI-F: Fazl

PESHAWAR: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief   Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Monday said the people of Pakistan have once again pinned their hopes on Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F).

Addressing a press conference in Peshawar, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief said: "Thousands of people answered the call when JUI-F had sought their support." 

"Ever since the PTI-led government came into power, his party has been calling it an illegitimate government," he said, adding that his party will not accept the government's decision to introduce electoral reforms.

"We will not accept electoral reforms handed over to us by thieves," Fazl said while addressing a press conference in Peshawar. He added that electronic voting machines (EVMs) have also been rejected by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

"The government that came to power through rigging elections is now talking about electoral reforms," the PDM chief stated, adding that the government is introducing e-voting machines to win the next general elections.

The JUI-F chief was of the view that Pakistanis living abroad have also given up on the government.

"First the youth and now overseas Pakistanis are being deceived," he said.

He also shed light on the economic crisis that Pakistan is facing and said that the "country's economy has been devastated."

"The Pakistani rupee has dropped to an all-time low against the US dollar", he said, adding that the world is neither ready to do business with us nor ready to help us.

"Large investments came from China, however, the government didn't utilise the amount properly," he said.

Govt plans discussion with Opposition on electoral reforms

In late September, the PTI-led government had welcomed the Opposition's readiness to discuss electoral reforms with the Centre, days after a committee from both houses — Senate and National Assembly — had been formed to address the matter.

Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry, addressing a post-cabinet press conference in Islamabad, had said the committee should move in the right direction to resolve the matter and not waste time.

The information minister said the electronic voting machine (EVM) and i-voting were a crucial part of the reforms. "If we exclude overseas Pakistanis from the voting process [...] it will be an injustice with them."

The decision to form the committee was decision was made during a meeting of Opposition lawmakers with National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser and other government lawmakers, a statement on the Lower House's Twitter handle had said.

"It was agreed that a committee comprising members from both the Houses would be constituted to work on various issues related to #electoralreforms," the statement said.

Opposition continues stiff resistance

The Opposition, however, has continued stiff resistance against the government's proposed reforms — in particular the EVM.

Last month, senior PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal termed EVMs as “rigging machines” during a demo presented live on television.

PDM chief Fazl had in August also declared the EVM as the "simplest way to rig elections" as the alliance rejected the government's "unilateral" electoral reforms.

"We reject each and every electoral reform put forward by this selected government, and we believe that NAB and FIA have become political institutions, who have lost their standing, as they are being used against the Opposition," he had said during a press conference in Islamabad.

Meanwhile, the ECP on September 10 said that EVMs can open up the possibility of "more sophisticated fraud" through the manipulation of software and hardware.

EVMs are presented as a solution to rigging in the elections, but they "cannot counter all types of fraud", the ECP said, in a 34-point letter sent to Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs Taj Haider on Friday, September 9.

The ECP said there would be a "lack of evidence in case of election disputes", as it underscored that the compatibility of EVMs with the existing constitutional and legal framework should be considered.