ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is open to electoral reforms, including a change in the selection criterion for caretaker governments, provided all political parties represented in parliament built up a consensus.

Whether the move is aimed at countering the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) ongoing campaign for wide-ranging electoral reforms, analysts say the prime minister has made a wise decision to formally engage all political forces in the process.

As leader of the house, the prime minister on Tuesday wrote to the National Assembly speaker, asking him to constitute a special parliamentary committee comprising members of the two houses of parliament to take up the issue of electoral reforms.

“Given the importance of the matter, the National Assembly and the Senate may consider setting up a parliamentary committee on electoral reforms to prepare comprehensive recommendations in respect of electoral reforms required to ensure free, fair and transparent elections in the country,” the prime minister said in his letter. A copy of the letter was also sent to the Senate chairman.

In his letter, the prime minister referred to two earlier reports, one each by the committees of the two houses of parliament, which remained inconclusive because of the expiry of the previous National Assembly. The new committee, he added, could draw upon recommendations of the two reports — report of a sub-committee of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs relating to amendments to electoral laws (Oct 2011); and report of the Senate Special Committee on Election Issues (Feb 2013).

The prime minister said: “I am given to understand that apart from some minor amendments made through an act of parliament and certain proposals adopted by the Election Commission (ECP) through exercise of its inherent powers/administrative measures, legislation to give effect to the recommendations contained in the reports could not be enacted due to expiry of the tenure of the National Assembly.”

The parliamentary committee, he wrote to the speaker, might comprise representatives of political parties from both the treasury and opposition members in both the houses. “It may consider the earlier reports and other proposals, recommendations and reports submitted to it by any party, organisation or person, including suggestions to amend the constitutional provisions relating to caretaker governments and the adoption of the latest technology for holding elections.”

The proposed parliamentary committee, which the prime minister asked the NA speaker to constitute in consultation with the Senate chairman, may submit its final report to the speaker within three months.

Mr Sharif once again, unwittingly though, demonstrated that when it comes to important decisions, be on economic or political fronts, he trusts none other than Finance Minister Ishaq Dar. In the opening paragraph of the letter, the prime minister attributed his awareness on the subject of electoral reforms to Mr Dar.

The Senate committee cited in the prime minister’s letter had recommended amendments to the Constitution to make production of the national identity card at the time of election mandatory, disclosure of secret information by an employee of the ECP to be punishable with imprisonment of up to five years or fine up to Rs5 million, or both and setting up of a local commission system for recording of evidence for speedy trial of election petitions.

PTI’S CONSULTATIONS: Talking to Dawn, the PTI’s information secretary and member of the National Assembly, Dr Shireen Mazari, said her party was already holding consultations with political parties sitting on the opposition benches for electoral reforms. “PTI vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi is due to meet Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Ahmed Shah on Wednesday (today) to discuss how the two parties can take the issue of electoral reforms forward.”

When her comment was sought on the prime minister’s letter, she said so far no-one from the government side had approached the PTI over the matter. “Since the PTI has no representation in the Senate, I don’t know the proposed committee will be constituted. Let’s see how the issue plays out before the house,” she said.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan had, at a rally on May 11 in Islamabad, called for sweeping electoral reforms, including resignations by all sitting members of the ECP, a change in the mode of selection criteria for caretaker governments, complete autonomy for the ECP to hold errant returning officers accountable, timely disposal of election petitions and machine-based voting.

Commenting on the writing of the letter, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Affairs Irfan Siddiqui said that since the government had decided to take up the issue of electoral reforms on the floor of the house, parties should participate in parliamentary proceedings instead of holding rallies on roads.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2014