ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Friday passed ‘The Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2022′ with a majority vote to reverse the use of Electronic Votings Machines (EVMs) in elections and voting rights of overseas Pakistanis.
The Upper House also passed ‘The National Accountability (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022’ which curtails to power of the anti-graft watchdog
Both the bills were moved by Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Murtaza Javed Abbasi in the House. The bills were hurriedly passed amid protests from the opposition before the House was prorogued till Monday.
Law Minister Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar presented the bills in the House for voting as PTI Parliamentary Leader Shahzad Waseem called for sending them to the standing committees for deliberation.
Bill sails in NA
A day earlier, the National Assembly passed the bill which scraps using electronic voting machines and restrains overseas Pakistanis from participating in elections.
The bill was recently approved by the federal cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Javed Abbasi presented the bill in the assembly.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar dismissed the notion that the bill was an attempt to deprive overseas Pakistanis of their right to vote, saying it was of immense significance in bringing reforms.
The bills stated that pilot projects in by-elections should be conducted before using i-voting and Electronic Voting Machines in general elections.
Tarar said overseas Pakistanis are a precious asset of the country and the government does not believe in snatching their right to vote.
Regarding using Electronic Voting Machines, the Law Minister said they are not against use of technology, but have concerns about misuse of technology as Result Transmission System (RTS) had failed in last general elections to favour a political party.
He said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had also expressed its inability to hold elections through i-Voting and EVMs in a short span of time and 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.
