Regressive: President Alvi refuses to sign election reforms bill

By Staff Reporter
Islamabad: President Dr Arif Alvi on Sunday returned the elections amendment EVM/OP bill 2022 unsigned, declaring it as regressive and anti progress.
The president said he had been pursuing the issue of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and Overseas Pakistanis Voting (OP) with all the governments, on the floor of the parliament, as well as with the Supreme Court of Pakistan since more than a decade.
The President did not sign the bill on EVMs and Overseas Pakistanis voting that was returned to the parliament which met recently and passed it again.
“This bill is anti-progress and regressive. Govts will be facing two choices, whether to allow the past to drag Pakistan down or allow lessons from the past & techs of today to boost us into a bright progressive & dynamic future of Pakistan that has been our dream. Many such decisions will continue to challenge us & history shows that those who make the right decisions ‘rise’, and those who don’t, squander opportunities that obstruct their path to glory.” President’s twitter handle updated.
The president observed that he had not signed the bill despite the fact, that the constitution that he upheld, would make it into law, a press release of President Secretariat Press Wing on Sunday said.
In this regard, he referred to Article 75 (2) of the Constitution of Pakistan which said “When the President has returned a Bill to the Majlis-e Shoora (Parliament), it shall be reconsidered by the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) in joint sitting and, if it is again passed, with or without amendment, by the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament), by the votes of the majority of the members of both Houses present and voting, it shall be deemed for the purposes of the Constitution to have been passed by both Houses and shall be presented to the President, and the President shall give his assent within ten days, failing which such assent shall be deemed to have been given.”
He further noted that it has been very painful to him as ‘President of Pakistan’ to not sign a bill passed by the Majlis-e-Shoora. Therefore, he must record his reasons for posterity.
While enlisting the reasons, the president said that besides, the proposed laws’ regressive nature that he pointed out in detail when he referred the bill back to Parliament, he strongly believed that today’s technology especially with EVMs when used judiciously contained many solutions that reduced the impact of confusion, discord and accusations in the ‘ever-marred’ and challenged election processes.
Technology could also improve transparency, make elections inclusive with the vote of the overseas Pakistanis, build confidence and reduce polarization to finally achieve the elusive dream of free and fair elections, he added.