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NA passes bill abolishing use of EVMs in election

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  • Law minister says holding polls using EVMs in a single day “impossible”.
  • Dismisses impression that amendment is aimed at depriving overseas Pakistanis of their right to vote.
  • Says govt does not believe in snatching overseas Pakistanis’ right to vote.

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Thursday passed a bill to abolish the former government’s election reforms giving overseas Pakistanis the right to vote through i-Voting and electronic voting machines (EVMs).

The development came during the Parliament meeting convened by President Arif Alvi to deliberate on the current economic situation of the country.

The Election Amendment Bill 2022 —  which was introduced by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Murtaza Javed Abbasi — was introduced in the National Assembly today.

The NA had bulldozed legislation for use of EVMs through the passage of a bill on November 17, 2021, giving overseas Pakistanis the right to vote in general elections through a voting device introduced by the PTI government.

Speaking at the NA session, Federal Minister of Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar said that holding polls using EVMs in a single day is “impossible”.

Tarar said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had also expressed its inability to hold the elections through i-voting and EVMs in such a short span of time, that too without proper homework.

He said two amendments are being brought to revive the Elections Act 2017, enabling the ECP to ensure free, fair, and transparent elections.

The minister dismissed the impression that the amendment was aimed at depriving overseas Pakistanis of their right to vote, adding that Pakistanis living abroad were a “precious asset of the country” and the government does not believe in snatching their right to vote.

Regarding the use of EVMs, the law minister said they are not against the use of technology, but they had concerns about misuse of technology as the Results Transmission System (RTS) had failed in the 2018 elections to favour a particular political party. 

Meanwhile, a motion to suspend the rule of sending Election Act Amendment Bill 2022 to the Standing Committee was also passed.

Moreover, the house also approved the National Accountability (Second Amendment) Bill, 2021, formulating a post-retirement procedure for its chairman.

Following amendments were made to the ordinance:

  • NAB’s deputy chairman will be the acting head of the watchdog when its chairman retires
  • If the deputy chairman is absent then any senior officer will be given charge of the top post
  • Tax-related matters have been excluded from NAB’s jurisdiction
  • Provincial and federal cabinets’ decisions for enjoying financial benefits will not be under NAB’s ambit
  • NAB will not probe irregularities in any development scheme or project
  • NAB cannot take action over the decision of any regularity institution
  • Judges’ appointments in accountability courts will be for a maximum three-year term
  • Consultation with the concerned high court chief justice will be mandatory for the removal of an accountability court judge
  • The consultation process for the appointment of a new NAB chairman will start two months prior to the incumbent’s retirement
  • The consultation process for the appointment of a new NAB chairman will be completed in 40 days
  • If the prime minister and the opposition leader fail to agree on any name for the coveted post, the matter will be sent to the parliamentary committee
  • The parliamentary committee is bound to finalise the name for the post of NAB chairman in 30 days
  • After completing a three-year term, a person can not be re-appointed to the post of NAB chairman.

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Forecast: rain and thunderstorms for Punjab, KP, and other regions of the nation

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In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, Punjab, Islamabad, and north Balochistan, rain, windstorms, and thunderstorms are predicted by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

Over the next 24 hours, the Met Office predicts that there will be isolated areas of heavy rainfall in upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Kashmir, while dust storms are anticipated in the country’s southern regions.

In upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Murree, Galiyat, Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan, moderate to heavy rains may cause landslides and impact vulnerable areas between the evening of March 29 and the morning of March 30.

Lightning, hail, and windstorms can harm loose objects like solar panels, cars, power poles, and standing crops. It is essential that farmers and tourists exercise caution during this time.

The synoptic situation indicates that a westerly wave that is affecting the country’s western and upper regions is probably going to stay there through March 31.

Over the course of the previous day, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, north Balochistan, upper and central Punjab, Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan experienced rain, wind, and thunderstorms. In other regions of the nation, the weather was partly cloudy.

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The prime minister reorganizes the Common Interests Council.

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The Council of Common Interests has been reconfigured by Prime Minister Mian Shehbaz Sharif.

Additionally, the notification to this effect was released following Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s consent.

The announcement states that the foreign minister, rather than the finance minister, has been included in the CCI for the first time in the nation’s history. Prime Minister Sharif will preside over the eight-member Council of Common Interests.

The announcement stated that the four chief ministers would be members of the CCI. Ishaq Dar, the foreign minister, has been admitted to the CCI.

The notification states that Safron Minister Engineer Amir Muqam and Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif will also be on the CCI. Commencing on March 21, the Council of Common Interests has been constituted.


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“Nawaz Sharif Kisan Card” for farmers gets approved by CM Punjab

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At a meeting on agricultural reforms, Punjab’s Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz presided over the approval of the “Nawaz Sharif Kisan Card” for farmers.

Farmers would receive a variety of subsidies through the Kisan Card scheme, and 500,000 small farmers in Punjab will be eligible for loans totaling Rs 150 billion over the course of a year. Each farmer will receive Rs 30,000 for every acre of land used for agriculture.

CM Maryam Nawaz announced during the meeting that a model agriculture center will be constructed in each district of the province with the assistance of the commercial sector, enabling farmers to discard phony fertilizers and medications.

The establishment of a cutting-edge center of excellence for research development on cotton, wheat, and rice crops was approved during the conference, and the Agriculture Department was instructed to gather comprehensive data on the production and demand of each crop.

Participants in the conference decided to link the research center with local universities and to give the board authority over administrative matters.

It was also decided to construct a research and development center at Agricultural University Faisalabad with Chinese participation, at a cost of Rs 2 billion.

In addition, it was decided to hire 500 agricultural graduates, update the Punjab Seed Corporation and Punjab Agricultural Research Board’s organizational structures, provide a bill that forbids the use of agricultural land for residential purposes, and outfit the Agricultural Extension Wing with cutting-edge machinery.

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