ISLAMABAD: Electoral reforms can only be brought about if politicians adopt a more mature attitude, civilian institutions become strong and non-civilian institutions retreat from politics, said Barrister Zafrullah Khan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Law and Justice, on Thursday.

“The change has to come from the people, without whom no law can be successful. I tell you that the new law will be utopian in which we have included all segments of society,” he said.

Mr Khan was speaking at a round table discussion on ‘General Elections 2018- accelerating the electoral reforms’, which was hosted by the Democracy Reporting International and UKAid.

Mr Khan said the new Electoral Reforms Committee which is headed by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar will draft a new law in regards to elections.

Reforms committee is working on combining all election related laws

“We are compiling seven laws that deal with the elections including the Political Parties’ Act. The report will be set in the form of a law will be presented in Parliament for approval,” he said.

He added that a new law was being drafted which will club all existing laws in the country which relate to elections and that the committee will have finalised its report in six or seven months.

Almost all the targets set by the electoral reforms committee, headed by Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, have been met, except for three issues, he said

The three disputed laws are the use of a biometric system for thumb impressions instead of ink impressions when casting a vote, electronic casting and voting by overseas Pakistanis.

“The issue of electronic voting has been discussed at all levels and we all agree that it was not workable, at least in Pakistan and the current situation but the PTI insists on including it in the reforms process,” he said, adding that a sub-committee headed by PTI MNA Dr Arif Alvi has been formed to address the matter.

Barrister Khan said that one of the more serious issues in the electoral process is the judgements on appeal, which are usually announced after the tenure is over.

His view was seconded by former MNA Riaz Fatiana, who blamed the judiciary for not fixing the date for hearing his appeal.

“This is because my opponent is the brother of Justice Ramday. I defeated my opponent in the two previous elections but he won this one due to rigging and my appeal is not being taken up,” Mr Fatiana said.

MQM MNA and a member of the Electoral Reforms Committee S.A. Iqbal Qadri said that the problem was not that laws did not exist, the problem was with the implementation of the laws.

“We are streamlining laws and closing the loopholes, but I tell you, whatever we do, nothing can be achieved if the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) remains as impotent as it is today,’ he said, adding that the ECP should stand firm and use its powers when faced with challenges.

Former ANP MNA Bushra Gohar said the tradition of interim governments should be ended and the ECP should hold elections in a fair and transparent manner.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2016