Government successfully amends Election Act

Opposition walks out of National Assembly in protest after EVMs, overseas voting allowed  

Despite eager protest by the joint opposition, the government successfully passed the amendments to the Elections Act, 2017, on Wednesday.

During the joint session of parliament, 29 different bills were passed and after the amendments in Election Act, the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) were allowed and the right of vote to overseas Pakistanis was granted.

The opposition teared up the copies of the agenda and walked out from the session to record their protest. Earlier during the speeches and the chanting of slogans against the ruling party, heated words were exchanged between the government and opposition members.

While speaking to the session, Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif termed the EVM an ‘evil and vicious machine’.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president said that the ruling government was not sincere with the people. Sharif said we would be more than happy with the overseas Pakistanis getting the right to vote but this government was using them for their own agendas.

Sharif said the whole procedure was illegal and was against the traditions of parliament as well. He also wrote a letter to the speaker of the National Assembly before the session and asked him to address their grievances.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi came out in support of his party and said that the opposition was not paying attention to what was happening there. It was a historical moment, which should not be criticized.

Qureshi said they had all the numbers with them is why they presented the bills today. We have our allies with us, he said.

The foreign minister said they were ready to accept dollars from the overseas Pakistanis but were not willing to give them the right to vote.

Before Bilawal Bhutto spoke in the session, he exchanged heated words with another parliamentarian, upon which the speaker urged the members to remain calm.

While addressing the session, Bhutto said that all the reforms were one-sided and that the government was trying to give National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) to Indian spy Kulbhushan Yadav, which would not be allowed to happen.

According to official data, the total seats of the National Assembly are 342, from which one seat fell vacant after Pervaiz Malik’s death. The opposition has 162 seats, and the government has 179 members including their supporters.

Meanwhile, the Senate has 100 seats from which 99 were present only as Ishaq Dar has not taken oath yet. The government holds 42 seats, and the opposition has the lead with 51 members.

The total strength of the joint session is 442 seats from which the government has 221 seats, while the opposition has 213.

According to media reports, it was a big drawback that 16 members of the opposition were absent in today’s joint session.