Election amendments damning attack on Constitution, ECP: Marriyum

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) Secretary Information Marriyum Aurangzeb has termed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government's election amendments a damning attack on the Constitution and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

In a statement issued here on Sunday, she said Imran Khan was trying to impose presidential system on the country by abolishing the federal parliamentary system of democracy. She said the amendments violated the political and ideological guidelines of the Founder of the Nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the decisions of the Supreme Court and the basic structure and concept of the Constitution of Pakistan.

Marriyum said Imran Khan did not want 220 million people to exercise their constitutional right of one person one vote, but he wanted to become the owner of the 'Electoral College' of certain people in black and white.

“This is not a law but a national plan of electoral fraud. The PTI government, which is a product of nationwide fraud through RTS [result transmission system] manipulation, wants to get rid of the public vote because they know after destroying the lives of the nation and the national economy, they can never get power through voting in a free and fair election,” she added.

She pointed out that after the amendments, the government itself would become the Election Commission and would have the power to conduct and manipulate the election, and decide the winners on its whims and fancies, she said.

Marriyum said the amendments were aimed at curbing public awareness, ensuring public distrust in their constitutional and judicial rights and impose an authoritarian rule.

“Imran is seeking to change the electoral laws to impose a permanent system of 'selection' instead of elections in the country. Imran wants to impose the fog of Daska on the whole country. Not just for a night but forever, through this black election law,” she added.

The PMMLN secretary information said the amendments were tantamount to hijacking the entire Election Commission and its powers like the presiding officers of Daska elections. Such black amendments would strip the Election Commission of its powers to annul elections, conduct inquiries, delimits constituencies, and compile electoral rolls, she explained. She said even delimitations were no longer based on population but on the will of the 'selected'.

Imran would make Pakistan a banana republic by taking away the constitutional powers of the Election Commission, she added.