MINISTER for Law and Justice Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar on Thursday held out an assurance that general election will be held in time. The remarks made by the Minister during his meeting with Canadian High Commissioner Ms Leslie Scanlon assume significance in the wake of rumours about extension in the term of the National Assembly which, along with provincial assemblies of Sindh and Balochistan, is set to complete its tenure on 12 August.
Similar remarks have also been made by Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Chairperson Parliamentary Reforms Committee, who expressed the confidence that there would be no delay in the general election which would be held in time. The urgency he attached to fast track proceedings of the Committee because of limited time at its disposal also indicated that the polls would be held this year. It is a matter of concern that the issue of electoral reforms remained dormant during the entire tenure of PTI and no progress could be achieved by the incumbent government mainly because of polarization and non-cooperation from the opposition that remained out of parliament since last year. The parliamentary committee has an important role as its recommendations and the resultant legislation will have implications for credibility of the electoral exercise. The committee will have to bear the entire burden in the absence of genuine opposition and, therefore, it should get input from important stakeholders even if they are out of Parliament for the sake of greater legitimacy for the process of reforms. As committees formed in the past also produced valuable recommendations, it would be worthwhile to benefit from them while finalizing the report of the incumbent body.
