LAHORE: PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal says Imran Khan’s government through a ‘bogus’ bill wants to hand over the powers of the Election Commission of Pakistan to the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).

Mr Iqbal told a press conference here on Saturday that the government wanted to amend the Constitution through a bill in parliament with a simple majority.

“No amendment to the Constitution can be brought about through a bogus bill without a two-thirds majority. The ECP has also pointed out this flaw in this proposed amendment and the government is feeling uneasy about its (ECP) objection,” he said and added the ECP had been given the mandate by the constitution to hold free and fair elections.

The PML-N leader further said the government had bulldozed the electoral reforms laws in the National Assembly. The PTI government wanted to steal the next elections through this, he alleged.

“The opposition will not let this happen,” he said.

He further said the federal ministers at the behest of Prime Minister Imran Khan indulged in hooliganism in the NA during the speech of the opposition leader that caused mockery of democracy. The torture of lawmakers in the Balochistan Assembly was the black day for democracy, he lamented.

The former interior minister said the PTI government did not have the capacity to develop any working relation with the opposition. “This inept government is only good at telling lies,” he said and asked Imran Khan to tell the people about the commission’s report on loans.

“This government has taken a Rs13,000bn loan in three years. Could it tell the people where are the development projects it has spent this amount on?” he asked and said the successor would be trapped in debts left by the PTI government.

He said the government formed the budget without consulting the FBR. “This government is playing with democracy and the economy,” he said.

Mr Iqbal said PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari had an issue with the PTI as it had grabbed its (PPP) vote bank in Punjab.

“The PML-N is staying strong in Punjab and other parts of the country despite the worst political victimisation of its leaders and lawmakers,” he said.

Meanwhile, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari telephoned PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and discussed electoral reforms.

Published in Dawn, June 20th, 2021