President Dr. Arif Alavi has criticized controversial changes in the election laws regarding the use of electronic voting machines and i-voting for Pakistanis abroad and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Two bills have been sent back to the Prime Minister for review in an attempt to remove his powers.
The President sent the bill back without signing and directed that it be reviewed and Parliament and relevant committees consult on it.
Both bills were passed by the National Assembly and the Senate last month, requiring only the president’s approval to become law after their approval by both houses.
However, President Alvi returned the bill today, saying that it violated Article 46 of the Constitution, according to which the Prime Minister apprised the President of all matters pertaining to international and foreign policy and the recommendations of the federal government. Which the Federal Government intends to present before the Majlis-e-Shura (Parliament).
A statement from the president’s secretariat said the president had not been notified of the legislative proposals before the bills were introduced in parliament.
According to the state-run news agency APP, the president said the amendments were passed by the National Assembly on May 26 and the Senate on May 27 without haste and due diligence.
He said that the legal community and civil society should have been consulted in detail on legislation that would have far-reaching effects on the society. Despite promises made by various prime ministers and presidents abroad since 1990, they have been denied the right to vote.
He said that the Supreme Court of Pakistan upheld its earlier decision of 2014 regarding voting rights of overseas Pakistanis in 2018 and reiterated that with the improvement of technology, Pakistanis living abroad should be allowed to travel abroad from outside Pakistan. Attempts should be made to allow voting.
Dr. Arif Alvi further said that the court had validated the i-voting at a time when the i-voting procedure was declared safe, reliable and trustworthy by a third party which had earlier been declared safe and secure by the Election Commission of Pakistan and NADRA. It was sent to determine feasibility, on which the court approved i-voting for use in a pilot project.
He said that according to the notification dated August 17, 2018 issued by the Election Commission regarding the by-election programs of 2018, the by-elections of 37 constituencies (national and provincial) were to be held on October 14, 2018. Pilot projects will be conducted under Section 94 to enable overseas Pakistanis to exercise their voting right which inevitably enables them to vote in the next general elections.
