- Qureshi says Opp parties are not demanding dissolution of ECP; just urging ECP members to resign on moral grounds
- Both parties to form committee for examining existing laws to develop a course of action on basis of 2013 general elections
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that Pakistan Muslim League – Quaid (PML-Q) shared PTI’s views on the integrity of the 2013 general elections and now three major parties in the parliament demanded electoral reforms as the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was also on the same page with them.
Speaking to journalists after a meeting with Q-League leadership, Qureshi said that they were not demanding the dissolution of the entire body [Election Commission of Pakistan] but they have urged all members of the commission to resign on moral grounds.
This announcement comes just a day after the PTI and PML-Q discussed the formation of a grand alliance against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government.
“Both parties agree that the current Election Commission has been unsuccessful in fulfilling its constitutional responsibility of conducting free and fair elections and thus its members should step down,” Qureshi said.
The PTI VC said that both parties agree that free and fair elections were absolutely necessary for democracy. He announced that a committee was being formed to examine existing laws and to develop a course of action on the basis of the 2013 general elections, adding that the committee will also work on developing national consensus about electoral reform.
Qureshi informed the press that PML-Q had nominated two of its members – Kamil Ali Agha and Tariq Bashir Cheema – for the four-member committee, while PTI had nominated Arif Alvi and Shafqat Mehmood.
“Today’s meeting was very productive,” he said, reiterating that both parties were in complete agreement about the issues discussed.
Speaking on the issue, PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said that ECP reforms were the need of the hour as last elections were not credible. He said that it was clear that ECP had failed to conduct free and transparent elections.
In the meanwhile, Javed Hashmi said that former ECP chief had stepped down for the same reason and therefore, other members of the commission should also admit their failure and resign from their posts.