PPP to bring amendment to Electoral Reforms Act in Senate

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Thursday announced to bring, in the upcoming session of the Senate, the amendment to section 203 of the Electoral Reforms Act, 2017 that allows the disqualified person to head the political party. 

The PPP also demanded imposition of financial emergency in the country as the country was drifting towards default due to downfall of the country’s economy due to government policies.

“The PPP has submitted its amendment to the section 203 in the Electoral Reforms Act, 2017 in the Senate which is expected to be taken up in the next session of the Senate,” said PPP Secretary General Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari while addressing a press conference along with the PPP Senator Salim Mandviwala, Senator Farhatullah Babar, Nazir Dokhi and Mustafa Nawaz Kokhar. He said the PPP had moved the resolution, which was approved in the Senate two days back, as this clause in the Act was against the law and Constitution.

Senator Salim Mandviwala said that Pakistan’s economy was facing serious crisis as its budgetary deficit had increased to 6 percent, exports were down while the import figure had reached over $50 billion, country trade deficit reached over $27 billion while the reserves were down to $13 billion, domestic and international debt at $83 billion and in coming days it would be difficult for the loan payments.

“If the continued downfall of the economy is not curtailed, it is feared that country will reach brink of default and then there will be no option but to impose financial emergency in the country,” he said.

Senator Salim Mandviwala said the economy of the country was in the tatter and he was asking why he was ousted. “The PML government is claiming that economy comes into pressure as they were thrown out but in fact economy of the country was in crisis due to their policies not because of their ouster,” he said.

He said the FBR was not even giving the record as it was being tampered as they feared that once they provided the FBR the record, PPP would get forensic audit of it. He said the loss of the public sector enterprises reach over $100 billion annually while the PIA sustained the losses of over $4 billion.

Senator Salim Mandviwala said that recently the loan of $3 billion was availed from the Chinese bank and the loan of $4 billion was taken in last three months. He said the agreements of LNG were not presented before Parliament despite that these were signed between the government and a private company.

He said it was for the first time the Senate and its committees were demanding resignation of the finance minister. “It is for the first time that finance minister failed to visit New York due to the allegations of corruption,” he said.

He said the domestic and international debt had increased to $25 billion in the tenure of the present government of the PML-N. He said it was for the first time that Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa addressed the Economic Conference. “ He said the defence of the country also related to the economy as if the economy of the country weakened, the defence would also weaken.