Shehbaz decides to call APC on electoral reforms

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) President and Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif has decided to convene the all parties conference (APC) on electoral reforms.

He held telephonic consultations with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) President Maulana Fazlur Rehman and both endorsed the idea and extended support to opposition leader.

Shehbaz told Bilawal and Fazl the aim of the APC was to formulate a joint stance of the opposition on electoral reforms, as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had expressed its reservations on the government bill, passed by the National Assembly. He said all opposition political parties would be invited to the APC. “Various organisations and institutions monitoring the elections and monitoring the process will also be invited,” Shehbaz added. He said consultations among political parties on electoral reforms for holding free, fair and transparent elections were need of the hour.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the APC could prove to be a significant opportunity to build national consensus on holding of transparent, fair and free elections.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman also supported the suggestion, saying it was timely and appropriate, and “we support it”.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal has said the present system cannot develop the country and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) experiment has failed.

He said the only way to put the country back on the right track was to throw out the failed experiment.

Talking to the media at a press conference here on Saturday, he said: “The government has ever been telling lies.

This government is based only on hatred, jealousy and malice, and it has done PhD in incompetence.”

He alleged that attempts were being made to reduce the number of seats in the backward areas and the government was playing with the constitution of Pakistan. He said the constitution could not be amended by a bill, but with approval of two-thirds majority in the assembly.

Ahsan said the opposition was tortured on the premises of Balochistan Assembly and the action was reprehensible. “Earlier, on the instructions of Imran Khan, the PTI parliamentarians attacked opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif during his speech,” he alleged, adding Imran Khan's ministers incited people to ridicule democracy as they were incapable of creating unity and solidarity.

The government has bulldozed the election laws; the government has taken over the powers of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to steal the elections and even ordinances were introduced to amend the constitution, which needed a two-thirds majority, he added.

The government did not even consult the ECP and now they are complaining that why the Election Commission exposed their theft. He said if Imran Khan could tell the nation which projects had been started with Rs13,000 billion loans.

The government wanted to give the powers of the Election Commission to NADRA through a bogus bill, he said and added that they wanted to amend the provisions of the constitution through a bogus law.

When the ECP pointed out that, they also have a problem with it, Ahsan said and added that the budget was presented without consulting the FBR.

“Imran Niazi Sahib, this government is playing with the constitution, democracy, economy, each and every one of them is burdening democracy. This government cannot stand on any agreement. It made an agreement with the opposition through the speaker and now he says that he is not ready to take action on the complaint against the deputy speaker,” Ahsan claimed.

Ahsan said the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) wanted to steer the country out of problems and bring political stability, which was necessary to strengthen the nation. He said the PDM and Shehbaz Sharif were united on all issues.

He said if the country was run like the last 70 years, then it would fail for the next 70 years. He said the country needed free and fair elections. He said the people of Punjab were civilised people and abuse was not part of our culture. He said that no one in the country was now ready to trust the statements of Imran Khan.

He said the government should clarify its position in Parliament regarding giving bases to the USA.