Yesterday was also a black day in parliament, says Fazl
Islamabad
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Thursday said attempts are being made to control the electoral process of the country before the general elections of 2023.
Addressing an Ulema convention in Quetta, Fazl said termed July 25, 2018, as a “black day” when, he added, the general elections were rigged in the country.
“Yesterday was also a black day in parliament,” said Fazl, who also heads the anti-government PDM alliance.
He further added that the country was “no one’s property” and would be run with the “will of the people and the Constitution”.
The government and its allies on Wednesday pulled off a victory against the opposition during a joint sitting of parliament by succeeding in passing the bills that pave the way for holding the next general elections in the country through the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and giving around nine million overseas Pakistanis the right to cast their votes in the 2023 polls. Surprisingly, the legislation pertaining to the electoral reforms — The Election (Amendment) Bill, 2021 — was deferred and only the bills related to using the EVMs and enabling overseas Pakistanis to cast votes were passed.
In total, 33 bills were passed in the joint sitting. Apart from the main agenda, five bills were passed through the supplementary one. Given the political volatility, the passing of over two dozen bills through a majority vote shows the vote of confidence in Prime Minister Imran Khan by the treasury benches when the lawmakers from the National Assembly and Senate sat together for the joint sitting.
