IN the backdrop of wild allegations of rigging in the recently-held elections in Gilgit-Baltistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan,on Tuesday, made an important announcement aimed at realizing the cherished objective of making elections free and fair in the true sense of the word. He said the Government would introduce a constitutional amendment in Parliament envisaging a show of hands in the Senate elections and use of electronic voting machines in general elections.
This is a step in the right direction and hopefully the Government Committee assigned with the task of preparing the amendment would be able to enlist cooperation of the opposition for getting the proposed amendment passed by Parliament where the incumbent Government lacks two-third majority required for the purpose. There is no other way to ensure transparency in elections than removing loopholes and immunizing the entire process from undue interference. The proposal for show of hands during Senate elections is need of the hour in the backdrop of serious allegations of horse-trading and purchase of loyalties through coercion and blackmailing. The Prime Minister did not explain but the proposal should include both voting by members of the Provincial Assemblies and National Assembly as well as election of the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Upper House through show of hands, otherwise the half-baked solution would not work. As for electronic voting, the mechanism is not as perfect as is being suggested and in neighbouring India the opposition blamed that votes cast in favour of their candidates were also counted for candidates of the ruling party. We must not waste money on a system that could land us in more controversies as was triggered by the unexplained breakdown of the result transmission system in the 2018 general election. More importantly, these two measures are unlikely to produce the desired results until and unless all flaws in the system are removed, comprehensive reforms are introduced and the Election Commission of Pakistan is made fully independent in every respect on the basis of recommendations made from time to time in the past including findings of the Judicial Commission headed by Justice Nasirul Mulk. If the Government is serious in reforming the system, it will have to develop a working relationship with the opposition as no constitutional amendment can be passed when the two sides are on the course of collision.
