| Says victory margin in K-P LG polls less than ‘rejected votes’ | Brings administrative changes in party | Directs more efforts on providing relief to masses
By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said the “status quo” was against the electronic voting machines (EVMs) to “manipulate elections through getting opposition votes rejected”.
The premier shared a post about the first phase of the local government elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) that showed the number of rejected votes in the local polls was greater than the winning margin.
As per the infographic shared by the premier, the rejected votes were over 23,000 while the winning margin was about 12,000.
Imran said the issue of rejected votes had been pointed out by a judicial commission formed to probe the alleged irregularities in the 2013 elections and the issue has surfaced again in the K-P LG polls.
Last month, Science and Technology Minister Shibli Faraz, however, had said that the EVMs were not designed for local government elections.
Faraz had said that there were multiple panels in the local bodies’ elections and the machines do not yet support multiple panels. In the general elections, he had added, only a single panel is required in EVMs even if 200 candidates were contesting from a single constituency.
Despite reservations expressed by the opposition parties and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the government had bulldozed the EVMs bill in the parliament last year.
The government claimed that these machines will ensure transparent polls while the opposition expressed concerns over potential rigging through EVMs.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan directed Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Wednesday to take effective measures to provide maximum relief to the people of Punjab, and ensure quality services to them.
PM Imran also asked the chief minister to ensure the protection of rights, lives and property of the people and to take stern action against encroachers, hoarders and miscreants.
The premier’s directives came during a day-long visit to Lahore, where he was also briefed about development projects being carried out across the province.
Matters pertaining to civil administration and law and order were also discussed in the meeting.
Since last week, political parties have beefed up activities in the provincial capital ahead of the local government elections in Punjab.
The PTI-led provincial government has reportedly initiated several development projects in almost all parts of the metropolis and major cities as part of its electioneering strategy.
On the other hand, the senior leadership of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) are working in close coordination to jointly counter the ruling PTI in the upcoming local government elections.
A week before that, CM Buzdar chaired a consultative meeting with respect to the local government elections in Punjab. The meeting was also attended by several federal ministers.
It reviewed proposals related to the upcoming local body polls and party affairs.
The officials agreed to nominate strong candidates in consultation with the party and underscored that real leadership could emerge at the grassroots with party-based elections, and that direct elections would bring about a real change in the local bodies’ politics.
Buzdar claimed that serving the people was the PTI’s only agenda.
