Islamabad: After the meeting of the parliamentary committee on electoral reforms, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar clearly stated that upcoming general elections would be held based on the 2017 census.
While talking to the media, Azam Nazeer said that in case the new census doesn’t receive approval then the constituencies would be drawn by looking at the previous (2017) census. Previously, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah unveiled that government may not notify the official result of the census that took place recently.
Regarding the electoral reforms put forward by the committee, Azam Nazeer Tarar said that the proposal to amend Election Act 2017 is almost finalised by the parliamentary panel. He added that the reforms would be presented after converting them into a bill.
According to sources, most of the amendments are related to the timely submission of election results. For instance, one reform would bind the interim government to organise alternate means of communication in areas where internet services are not available to convey results. Similarly, under another reform, it would be mandatory for the presiding officer to submit election results at a given time frame. One of the provisions would assure that returning officers provides high-tech communication to presiding officers, who would forward pictures of election results to returning officer.
Meanwhile, MQM Chief Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui showed dissatisfaction with the decision to hold elections on the basis of the 2017 census. MQM conveyed that taking any decision about general elections without their concern would be an attack on the party’s right as a coalition ally.