ISLAMABAD: Parliament has started voting on the electoral reforms 2nd amendment bills. Adviser to Prime Minister Babar Awan presented the amendment bill in the parliament.
When the joint session of the parliament started today, Opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif and other opposition leaders demanded that the electronic voting/electoral reforms bills be deferred as stakeholders want to have more discussion on this thorny.
Consequently, Speaker National Assembly deferred the proposed, according to Geo TV.
Currently the joint session is underway and it will take up more than two dozen crucial bills which have either lapsed or were rejected by the Senate.
Prime Minister Imran Khan, who arrived at Parliament House shortly before the session was expected to begin, was hounded by the media as he made his way to chair a meeting of the PTI’s parliamentary team but remained tight-lipped. The government’s coalition partners were also part of the meeting.
“You are conducting so many meetings. Are you worried about something despite having a majority?” asked a reporter.
“Who is meeting people?” PM Imran shot back as he appeared to discourage the impression that he had to convince his allies for support in today’s session.
Speaking to the media after the parliamentary party meeting, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that the premier had thanked the government’s allies for their support as well as lawmakers who had managed to arrive despite personal circumstances.
Chaudhry said lawmakers had expressed confidence in the premier’s leadership, which would be reflected in the joint session.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who also spoke to the media at Parliament House, said that the government had complete trust in its allies. “We trust them because the people of their constituencies have given them the mandate,” he said.
He said that the government wanted fair and transparent polls which would strengthen democracy in the country. The minister said that the government wanted to protect the rights of the people, which was the basic responsibility of legislators.
