EVM solution to help end rigging: Qureshi

MULTAN: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) is a solution to rigging and it will strengthen democracy in the country.

Addressing public meetings Saturday, meeting delegation in his constituency NA-156, the foreign minister said the PTI wants to hold elections through EVMs to strengthen democracy and end the outdated system.

They have used modern technology to ensure that the next elections are transparent and democracy is strong in future and that no party has to be accused of rigging. They want to get rid of the word rigging from the country forever by holding elections through EVM, he added. Qureshi said overseas Pakistanis are the backbone of country’s economy. They send billions of rupees in foreign exchange. Why can’t they vote? Is giving them the basic right to vote a wrong move by the government? he questioned. Giving them the right to vote was their basic right. Overseas Pakistanis wanted to participate in the electoral process, he added. Pakistanis abroad want the betterment of the country. They want corruption to be eradicated from the country, justice to be done, governance to be enforced and that is possible only when there is democracy in the country. Democracy will be strong when all people at home and abroad are given the right to vote, he further added.

He said the opposition opposed every good move of the government. The opposition unites against government measures, including legislation. But there is no unity in their own ranks. He said the government is united but the opposition is in turmoil. Opposition is not digesting country’s progress. In earlier periods, the rulers ruthlessly plundered the national exchequer. They left the people poor and destitute. The nation is still suffering the consequences of this. The PTI has inherited the economic crisis. When they took over the government, they faced many challenges. They worked hard to meet the challenges. Inflation is a huge challenge for our government which they are always trying to overcome. He said development of South Punjab is our top priority. The government wants to shift the journey of development from urban to rural and backward areas. In the past, no attention was paid to rural areas due to which the southern districts became backward, he added.