ISLAMABAD, Oct 29 (APP): Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) senior leader and former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on Thursday called for comprehensive electoral reforms through Parliament to ensure transparent elections acceptable to all political parties.
Talking to the media outside Parliament House, he said recurring controversies over electoral processes undermined the dignity and credibility of Parliament.
He said PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, while speaking in the National Assembly, had stressed that Parliament should exercise its constitutional authority.
He said that, on Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s proposal, the House had adopted a resolution to constitute a parliamentary committee comprising members of the National Assembly and Senate to formulate recommendations for electoral reforms.
The proposed reforms would subsequently be presented before Parliament for approval, he added.
Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said that, on the instructions of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, he and PPP leader Naveed Qamar had visited the opposition chamber to meet Mahmood Khan Achakzai, the Leader of the Opposition, and other senior representatives of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its allied parties.
He said they had conveyed the message that government and opposition parties should work together to introduce electoral reforms in the larger national interest.
The former prime minister expressed the desire for PTI and other opposition parties to participate actively in all parliamentary committees and play a meaningful role in legislative affairs.
He particularly urged PTI to join the proposed electoral reforms committee and present its recommendations to improve the electoral process.
He emphasised that electoral reforms would directly affect future elections and were essential to safeguarding voters’ rights and upholding the dignity of Parliament.
Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said opposition leaders had listened to their proposal and assured them that they would consult among themselves before responding.
He expressed optimism that opposition leaders would agree to join the proposed committee, comprising members of the National Assembly and Senate.
He said a collective effort to reform the electoral system would strengthen the Election Commission, improve the transparency and credibility of elections, reinforce democracy and enhance Parliament’s prestige.
Source: APP (Associated Press of Pakistan)
