LARKANA: Pakistan Peoples Party Sindh president Senator Nisar Ahmed Khuhro has objected to the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) move to use the Election Management System (EMS) for tabulating and transmitting poll results, terming it similar to the commission’s Result Transmission System (RTS) of 2018.

The RTS had favoured the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and EMS appeared to be an attempt to benefit the PML-N, he feared.

He demanded the ECP to address the reservations of the PPP regarding the EMS and ensure issuance of Form 45 immediately after completing the vote count.

Addressing corner meetings in connection with his election campaign in PS-15 (Miorkhan) from where he is contesting, he said that previously the RTS had failed and later on the PTI got its benefit.

He apprehended that on the pretext of disruption in Internet signals, the EMS might ‘fail’ to benefit the PML-N in the election results.

He questioned how in the absence of Internet towers and effective signals in villages and remote areas, it would be possible to transmit election results through the EMS. Therefore, his party had strong reservations about the system which needed to be addressed, Khuhro said.

He said that bringing in the EMS would put a question mark on the election results and warned that favouring the PML-N through managed results with the help of that system would not be acceptable to the PPP.

Khuhro demanded a guarantee from the ECP for holding transparent elections and ensure fair poll results. The elections were for the people to decide the government of their choice, he said.

Criticising what he termed an extraordinary gas load-shedding and imposing Rs400 as a fixed charge in bills, he said the PPP had serious reservations over such recoveries.

The fixed charges should immediately be withdrawn to extend relief to people, he said and added that Sindh being a key gas producer had the first right on it.

Heavy gas load-shedding in the province, which produced 60 per cent of it, had severely impacted industries and domestic users, he said.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2024