Senate sees debates on EVMs, wheat import, PIA losses

ISLAMABAD: As the treasury termed the electronic voting machines (EVMs) inevitable for poll transparency, and the opposition called them the machines of rigging, the seething controversy made its way to the Senate on Friday.

The government and the opposition also traded allegations over the state of economy and wheat import. The government was grilled for not summoning a parliamentary session to chalk out the Afghanistan policy afresh.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan, while winding up a discussion on the presidential address to the joint sitting of the parliament, criticised the opposition for rejecting the EVMs without even considering and examining them.

He insisted that the EVM was the way forward and censured the opposition over its failure to give any suggestions to ensure more transparency in the electoral process and opting for rejection of each and every proposal, floated by the government.

In this context, the minister also referred to the recent visit of a Senate delegation to Russia to observe polls and pointed out that technology had been used in those elections. He praised Prime Minister Imran Khan over his Afghan policy and said he had made it clear that Pakistan would be partner in peace and not war. He claimed there was an agricultural boom in the country and said the bumper wheat crop this year set a new record.

PPP parliamentary leader in the House Sherry Rehman rose to accuse the government of trying to prepare ground for pre-poll rigging through EVMs. She also slammed the ministers for attacking the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), regretting that threats had also been hurled at the commission after it took a realistic position on the EVMs.

She contended, “We are facing a terrible economic crisis in real terms on the ground with spiralling food prices, but here we are told Pakistani agriculture is booming. There is no respite in sight for citizens whose disposable income has shrunk alarmingly”.

Senator Sherry said it was for the first time in the country’s history that wheat was being imported at a shocking $383.50 per metric ton and added “for a country which was once self-sufficient in wheat production during PPP's government, it is a shame that we are importing it now and that too at such an exorbitant rate. Unfortunately, under the current government, Pakistan’s food trade balance has soared to a whopping negative -$3,965 million, mainly due to sugar and wheat imports. So, why is the PTI government celebrating a wheat boom?” while importing costly wheat.

Speaking on the importance of a joint parliamentary session on Afghanistan, she noted that there was a humanitarian disaster unfolding in Afghanistan: What is our strategy for the spillover in Pakistan? A unified position could help Pakistan effectively tackle challenges that could arise because of the evolving situation in Afghanistan, “as what happens in Afghanistan does not stay in Afghanistan.” A joint session to discuss the unfolding situation in Afghanistan is a need of the hour, but unfortunately this government only holds sessions to bulldose bills, unlike the PPP government.

“From ECP to the media, all our independent institutions are challenged or being dismantled. The government’s tirade against the Election Commission of Pakistan is absolutely shameful. Then 16,000 government employees were sacked and sent home as a result of a Supreme Court order and the PMDA, but no one from the government even came out to meet them and listen to their grievances when they were protesting outside the parliament in extreme heat. It was only the opposition who went to speak to them and offer them water,” she added.

On ‘PIA’s abysmal performance’, she said, “we have been told in a Public Accounts Committee meeting that from November PIA will not be getting bridges to board passengers, nor will they be able to get power supply for the aircraft because CAA has decided to stop the provisions of airport services to PIA owing to non-payment of dues. Ironically, in the same meeting we are told that PIA is making a profit. Why is it that only the government can see the profit? I hope the cost cuts are reviewed and facilities are not cut off. As if the EU ban on PIA was not enough, now passengers will also have to suffer through this”.

Leader of the House in the Senate Dr Shahzad Wasim defended the idea of introducing EVMs for the next general election and said “we cannot make advancement without technology. It is necessary for transparency” and the opposition’s suggestions would be welcomed in this connection. About the risks of EVM hacking, he said it was just like avoiding to drive a car for fear of an accident or boarding a plane.

He said the government desired making overseas Pakistanis part of the electoral process by voting from the countries of their residence through I-voting system.

Dr Shahzad said wheat was a public issue and the government was mindful of it and added wheat was imported and then he referred to an SBP quarterly report, laid in the House earlier that this year, there had been record wheat production i.e. 27.3 metric tonne, exceeding the set target.

He claimed that owing to the government policies, Rs 1,100 billion went to the farmers. He added the reason of importing wheat was the gap between supply and demand and consumption, which exceeded estimates. “The demand is 29.5 million tonnes that is why wheat had to be imported to bridge the gap while its price in world market is also high due to Covid,” he noted. He said the PIA losses had been cut by half in three years of the PTI government.

Senator Faisal Javed of the PTI said use of EVMs in the next elections was inevitable. He said it was the parliament’s right to legislate and the ECP’s job was to conduct free, fair and transparent polls under the law. He also referred to the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s judgement on the matter.

PML-N Senator Saadia Abbasi alleged that 2018 general elections had been stolen and asked ‘how can we trust a technology, the control of which is in your hands, we can’t trust’.

During the question hour, Minister for Aviation Division Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan hoped that the European Union’s restrictions on PIA would be lifted this year. He said all their reservations had been addressed and their audit team would visit Pakistan in November. He told the House that the government inherited huge financial losses of the PIA but managed to reduce it drastically from Rs67.32 billion to Rs 34.64billion in the last three years. The House will now resume on Monday afternoon.