https://ift.tt/fKPyzTd Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar categorically stated on Tuesday that there would be no extension in the term of the National Assembly but kept the option of early dissolution of the assembly open, saying no one has the knowledge of “Ghayb” (unseen or all that is hidden). The option of keeping the assembly’s early dissolution open was soon backed by the key ruling coalition partner Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Federal Commerce Minister Syed Naveed Qamar as he revealed that PPP has proposed to the federal government to dissolve the national and two remaining provincial assemblies on August 8. Both the ministers shared their views with media soon after they attended a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms held at the Parliament House on Tuesday. The in-camera meeting was held to make the recommendation in respect of Electoral Reforms to ensure free, fair and transparent elections, along with draft legislation, if required for this purpose. In his media talk after the meeting, the law minister said that there will be no extension in assembly’s tenure, saying the assembly was completing its tenure and as far as the dissolution of the assembly was concerned, “no one has Ilm-e-Ghayb; it depends on the given situation.” Tarar said that there were several anomalies in the Election Act of 2017 and the purpose of the in-camera meeting was to ensure that not only free, fair and impartial elections be held but they should also be seen to be held. Also read: PM woos Fazl after recent outburst “This is the consensus of all the political parties,” Tarar said, adding that input was taken from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the ministry of parliamentary affairs and the law and justice, which he heads. To a question if the committee had any contact with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Tarar said that PTI’s Senator Ali Zafar is a notified member of the electoral reforms’ committee and he was invited to attend the meeting on Tuesday – which he didn’t. The law minister said that he would personally request Zafar to attend the next meeting of the committee as addressing the anomalies was a national service. He said that the parties outside the parliament – mainly PTI – have already been heard by the senate committee, adding that the institutions outside the House like PILDAT and FAFEN have also been heard before. He said the committee was reviewing and fine-tuning the same points and no new work was being done, adding that the final recommendations will be presented before everyone. Meanwhile, the commerce minister said that PPP has proposed to dissolve the National and two provincial assemblies – Sindh and Balochistan – on August 8; a proposal which has already been under consideration by the ruling coalition as it would give them three months instead of two for election campaign. Under the Article 224 (Time of election and by-election) of the Constitution, if any assembly is dissolved before the completion of its term then the elections should be held within 90 days. If the assembly is dissolved on the completion of its time then the ECP has to conduct polls with 60-day time. In an informal chat with the journalists, Qamar said that PPP has proposed early dissolution date but the final decision would be taken by the ruling party – PML-N. The commerce minister said that PPP wants electoral reforms before the elections as issues like RTS system are crucial to be addressed before polls through the electoral reforms. Qamar said that consensus among political parties on electoral reforms is necessary, saying PPP does not support further extension of the current setup and the caretaker setup should not go beyond the constitutional period in any case. He further said that PPP will not back down from its principle stand regarding the extension of the current assembly’s tenure. A few days ago, a senior PPP leader, while requesting anonymity, had confirmed to The Express Tribune that the dissolution of assemblies was likely a week or few days before its tenure ends as the same was recently discussed by the ruling parties so that there is more time for the election campaign.
from Pakistan News, Latest News Pakistan, Pakistan Headline | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/FyiKuLl
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