Senate body approves electoral reforms
Scrutiny of nomination papers within 14 days, no BA degree condition.
ISLAMABAD (Online) - Special Committee of Senate has approved the draft of electoral reforms unanimously according to which the scrutiny of nomination papers would take place within 14 days instead of one month.
The committee for finalizing elections reforms was held at the Parliament House on Monday. Senator Jahangir Badar chaired the meeting.
Senators Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri, Islam-ud-Din Sheikh, Sugra Imam , Sardar Fateh Muhammad Hasni and Tahir Hussain Mushadi alongwith highups of Law Ministry and Election Commission of Pakistan participated in the meeting.
The proposed election reforms also reduced the fee for candidates of National Assembly to Rs 8,000 from 50,000 whereas it would be Rs 4,000 instead of Rs 25,000 to contest the election for provincial assemblies. The candidates would also provide transport to the voters.
Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri protested that ECP allotted election symbol to JUI-F without consultation of the party so they would besiege the Election Commission whereas those MNAs who have bogus degrees, could not be disqualified.
Chairman Jahangir Badar said that former dictator Pervez Musharraf kept the condition of graduation to prevent PPP from participating in elections. Such type of hard provision is not in any other country of the world.
The representative of Election Commission told the meeting that the bogus degrees holders cannot contest polls as they do no fulfill the requirement laid down in article 62 and 63 of the Constitution.
He said that there is not any ban on releasing new developmental funds of the parliament and the ongoing projects would continue.
On which Haidri said that the bogus degrees holders were re-elected in the bye-elections and the Election Commission could not do anything to prevent them.
On the occasion, Sardar Fateh Muhammad Hasni said that there are abundant of Afghan Refugees in Baluchistan and if their passports and identity cards would not be cancelled then a big number of these refuges would be member of the parliament.
