Senate body for placing checks on election campaign expenditure

Senate’s Special Committee on Elections said on Tuesday that the issue of expenditure during election campaigns should be checked to ensure free and fair elections.
The meeting was held on Tuesday at the Parliament House, under the chairmanship of the Leader of House Jehangir Badr.
The committee recommended that legislation should be made before general elections to make the upcoming elections more fair and transparent.
The committee suggested that not only legislative measures, but administrative measures were also necessary for free and fair elections.
The committee was of the view that a code of conduct must be introduced at the earliest, not only for political parties but also for media.
The members suggested that the media was an important player and the introduction of a code of law would help avoid favouritism for political parties or workers.
Senator Ishaq Dar suggested that there must be a comprehensive system, through which overseas Pakistanis could cast their votes confidently.
Senator Sughra Imam suggested that bill boards must not be allowed as it was expensive way of campaign.
Members of the committee said that there were flaws in registering for the electoral roll on the basis of permanent address instead of current address. “There are people who have migrated from one place to another in search for livelihood. No one should be forced to cast vote on permanent address,” they said.
Badr said that the mandate of the committee was to review the existing election laws and to improve the system. He asked the members to suggest recommendations and said that the legislation would be made accordingly.
Senator Ishaq suggested the minimizing of costs of election campaigns, to help people participate in politics.
Senator Zahid Khan said that polling stations were usually changed during the night with the help of the local administration, which was responsible for rigging.
ANP leader Shahi Syed said that parliamentarians should perform their duties and legislation was necessary for holding transparent elections.
The committee decided to hold meetings with stakeholders and decided to take appropriate measures to ensure free and fair elections.