ISLAMABAD: A day after the government put off today’s joint session of Parliament within 24 hours of its summoning after struggling to ensure the presence of the required number of members, Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed on Thursday said members of the ruling coalition had expressed reservations over the proposed electoral reforms bills.
The bills pertain to the use of the electronic voting machine (EVM) and the introduction of I-voting for Pakistan nationals living abroad in the next polls.
Speaking to the media, Ahmed said keeping in view reservations of the allies, the joint sitting of the Parliament was postponed by the government.
On the revocation of the ban on the TLP party, the minister said he was in favour of negotiations with the radical group from day one.
He added he is not aware of the contents of the latest agreement between TLP and the government and will know its details only when the government decides to make it public.
Expressing his views on the T20 World Cup, Ahmed said his final was on the day when India was thrashed by Pakistan. “But I pray for Pakistan’s victory against Australia,” he added.
Providing details of development work in Rawalpindi, Ahmed said in a short span of time, three women’s colleges were established in the city.
Special attention was paid to girls’ education in Rawalpindi and we planned for 20 years ahead and constructed three universities and seven colleges.
The backdoor lobbying of the government led by Prime Minister Imran Khan has reportedly failed to garner the support of parliamentarians over the electronic voting machine (EVM) bills that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) was set to table, said sources.
According to the insiders, the lobbying with the government bloc to seek support for the bills, to be tabled by PTI, have failed as Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) have shared their reservations.
