ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to allocate two seats each to the ruling PML-N, its coalition partner PPP and the main opposition PTI in the proposed Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms (PCER), aimed at ensuring timely reforms to make general elections fair and transparent.
However, the PTI has so far not agreed to join the parliamentary panel, with a final decision expected at a joint opposition meeting to be held in a couple of days.
Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, the government’s focal person for the proposed PCER, said on Thursday that the PML-N, PPP and PTI would each have two seats on the committee.
In a post on X, Mr Chaudhry said the Awami National Party (ANP), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), National Party (NP) and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) would each be allocated one seat.
“The final decision on the names of the committee members will be made by the leader of the house [the prime minister] and the deputy prime minister after consultations with the opposition, coalition partners and relevant parliamentary leadership,” Mr Chaudhry said.
Panel’s chief
Meanwhile, a PPP source told Dawn that the committee’s chairperson would most probably be from the PPP.
The source said it had been hinted during a meeting between the premier and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari at Prime Minister House that the chairmanship would go to the PPP.
When contacted, PTI chief whip in the National Assembly Aamir Dogar said his party had so far not agreed to join the parliamentary committee because of the government’s attitude towards the opposition.
He, however, said the final decision on the PTI’s participation in the PCER would be taken at a joint opposition meeting in a couple of days. Mr Dogar added that the opposition had also called a multi-party conference to decide its future line of action.
Earlier this week, the government, taking ownership of an initiative to bring all parliamentary parties, including the opposition, to the negotiating table on electoral reforms, formally approached its allies to join the proposed PCER. It contacted key allies, the PPP and MQM-P, seeking nominations for their representatives on the committee.
The PPP had submitted the names of its legislators for the PCER, but they have not yet been made public.
On Tuesday, the government formally approached the opposition to seek its representation on the proposed committee. However, the opposition had termed its formation a “futile exercise” unless its long-standing demands were met.
Mr Chaudhry had also contacted PTI’s Aamir Dogar, asking him to submit the names of opposition lawmakers for the committee. Mr Dogar, however, had expressed reservations over the proposed composition and demanded equal representation for the government and opposition.
Last week, the PPP chairman urged National Assembly Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai to use the “authority and power” delegated to him by jailed PTI founder Imran Khan to direct opposition members to participate in parliamentary committees.
He said the opposition leader should nominate representatives to the electoral reforms committee and submit their names to the NA speaker’s office.
Later, a PPP delegation met Mr Achakzai and Senate Opposition Leader Raja Nasir Abbas. During the meeting, the delegation invited the opposition to join the parliamentary committee to promote consultation and discussion among parliamentary representatives on electoral reforms.
