–Committee to have equal representation from treasury and Opp parties, govt’s nominee to head commission
–FM Qureshi says ’empowered’ committee will prepare TORs for investigation, as Shehbaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto welcome announcement
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly (NA) on Tuesday approved the formation of a parliamentary committee to probe allegations of rigging in the July 25, 2018 General Election.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi presented the motion and it was unanimously approved at the NA session called to approve amendments to the budget.
Speaking during a session of the Lower House, the minister revealed that the probe body will have equal representation from the government and opposition parties in the National Assembly. The committee will be headed by a lawmaker belonging to the treasury benches.
Qureshi had earlier announced that the probe committee will have proportionate representation from the treasury and opposition benches; however, the government agreed to equal representation from either sides after talks with opposition leaders.
The parliamentary committee will prepare the Terms of Reference (ToR) to investigate the charges of rigging in the July 25 elections, Qureshi said, adding that the body will be “empowered”.
Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry said the committee will be independent and remove any doubts the opposition may have as Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Shazia Mari said the opposition should get the chairmanship of the committee.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khurram Dastgir seconded Marri’s statement regarding the commission’s head.
FM Qureshi said, “We do not want to keep anything hidden. It is the opposition’s right to protest and their reservations have been registered.”
“We have to move forward despite our differences,” he said, adding that such committees are usually headed by the government and previously a similar committee was led by former finance minister Ishaq Dar..
The NA speaker said, “Whichever committee I form, it will be in accordance with rules.”
SHEHBAZ AND BILAWAL WELCOME ANNOUNCEMENT:
Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif welcomed Foreign Minister Qureshi’s announcement to form a commission to probe allegations of rigging.
“It’s a good thing that a commission is being formed on my demand,” he said and added: “Now the TORs will be decided and a timeframe will be set for investigation.”
He further said that forming the commission will save the House’s time.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also accepted the announcement and warned that the opposition will not let the government “whitewash the matter”.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) have all alleged that the votes cast at various polling stations were changed behind closed doors after their polling agents were thrown out. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has denied the claims.
In August, political parties held protests outside the ECP in Islamabad and in other parts of the country.
Politicians have also raised the issue of rigging within the Lower House earlier, with Bilawal Bhutto highlighting it in his maiden NA speech and the PML-N staging walkouts in protest.