Prime Minister Imran Khan assured his cabinet on Tuesday that the forthcoming budget for 2021-22 would offer relief to the citizens. According to reports, PM Khan has stated that construction programmes will be prioritised in light of public needs.
This was stated at a cabinet meeting in which other significant decisions were made. Two ordinances related to democratic reforms were authorized by the cabinet, one of which requires the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to use electronic voting machines (EVM).
Following the meeting, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry held a press conference to declare the acceptance of the two ordinances, stating that they would help future elections be more open.
“The election commission has been given the authority to use EVMs in elections,” he said. “It [ECP] has also been granted the right to take steps to ensure overseas Pakistanis get the right to vote.”
The minister stated that the government’s electoral reforms were divided into four sections, including the usage of electronic voting machines (EVMs), e-voting for Pakistanis living abroad, biometric identification, and legislation. He said that EVMs had been established and that the government had announced its legislative agenda for the reason, though biometric and e-voting mechanisms were in the works.
PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif and PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, according to Chaudhry, would both welcome the decisions. He went on to say,
Turning his weapons on the opposition, Chaudhry said that the Pakistani people had been forced to accept a “minor” leadership. “Maryam and Bilawal wake up each day, check the headlines to see what Imran Khan has said and decide that they have to speak out against it no matter what,” he added.
