Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri terms Election Reforms Bill a fraud & drama

PAT Chairman Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri has termed the Elections Reforms Bill passed by the National Assembly as a deceit and fraud. He said that the cause of democracy and interest of the country will not be served by opening the doors of democracy on the thieves and the known corrupt. He said that elimination of Articles and Clauses that demand honesty and truthfulness from public office holders is legal terrorism. He said that reins of the government continue to be in the hands of a disqualified person who wants to avenge his disqualification on the law, constitution and democracy.

Dr Qadri said that the PAT has waged a relentless political struggle for an electoral system free of rigging, for reforms in the system of elections, and implementation of Articles 62 & 63 and compliance of the candidates with the criteria laid down in these constitutional provisions. Mammoth public meeting was held at Minar-e-Pakistan on December 23, 2012; historic long march was held from Lahore to Islamabad in January 213; and the purpose of this long march was to close the doors of Parliament on the corrupt elements, he opined. He said that the incompetent lot stabbed in the back of the country in the name of electoral reforms. He said that people of every country want honest and competent people to be elected to the top public offices and Islam has placed more emphasis on such virtues.

The PAT Chairman asked the Senate of Pakistan not to pass this Bill. He said that elections are not merely a matter of one political party, stating that it is rather the matter that is related to millions of Pakistanis and all political forces. He said that the Bill should have been passed unanimously, adding that the proposed amendments are against the spirit of the Constitution because honesty and trust worthiness is demand of the constitution.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri said that the process of drafting the Bill was kept under wraps at every level and even media was not allowed to get a hint of it. He said that the PAT is of the considered view that the members of Parliamentary Committee who were involved in the task of drafting the Bill are clearly at fault because they kept the nation and the media in the dark about the proceedings.

The PAT leader said that the government has rendered the nomination form redundant and ineffective and even rejected the recommendations of the Election Commission of Pakistan in this regard. He said that all those clauses of Article 62 and Representation of People’s Act under which Nawaz Sharif was shown the door have been deleted from the nomination form. He further stated that the clauses of RoPA which obligate the elected officials to submit details of their assets to the Election Commission have also been taken out of the nomination form and the people have been robbed of their right to ask their representatives about their assets. He said that he will give his detailed viewpoint about this legal terrorism. He asked the nation to keep an eye on the dishonest mafia because they are disfiguring the face of democratic norms and Pakistan ideology by legitimizing dishonesty, corruption and stealth.