REBUTTAL

          Islamabad, the 1st September, 2009. About news report of FAFEN published in Daily “The News” Rawalpindi dated 28th August, 2009, regarding Electoral Reforms, spokesman of the Election Commission of Pakistan has said that all Electoral Reforms were properly proposed after wide-ranging discussion and consultation with stakeholders as after the General Elections 2008, some of international observers’ Missions particularly from European Union, Canada, NDI, IFES, USAID, UNDP, Asia Foundation as well as some of the Civil Society Organizations and political parties in their reports/observations identified certain areas, which according to them required improvement for making election process more transparent. ECP, therefore, felt that this was opportune time for affecting electoral reforms in the country because the government, political leadership and other stakeholders wanted to bring elections in Pakistan at par with the universally accepted international norms.

2.      After General Elections, 2008, the Electoral Reforms Committee headed by the Secretary, Election Commission of Pakistan was formed in April, 2008. Nine working groups consisting of officers of Election Commission and stakeholders were constituted to suggested the legal, organizational and operational reforms and the recommendations so made by these groups were considered in various meetings of the Committee which in its turn recommended amendments in the Constitution as well as in other Electoral Laws keeping in view the proposals of Working Groups. Before sending the Proposed Electoral Reforms, spread over 78 pages, to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on 11th March, 2009, the Election Commission approved these recommendations with some modifications.

3.      In the aforesaid reforms package, in all 8 amendments have been proposed in the Constitution, 16 in the Representation of the People Act, 1976, 10 in the Senate (Election) Act, 1975, 04 in the Electoral Rolls Act, 1974, 03 in the Presidential Election Rules 1988, two in the Political Parties Order, 2002 and one in the Delimitation of Constituencies Act, 1974.

4.      It is also pointed out that the objective of review of the Electoral Laws including the constitutional provisions relating to Election Commission and Hon`ble Chief Election Commissioner is to strengthen the Election Commission with a view to enable it to meet its constitutional and legal obligations independently and effectively so as to enhance the confidence of the stakeholders in the Electoral Process in Pakistan and independence and efficacy of Election Commission of Pakistan and that the law to meet the future challenges for achieving international standards for genuine democratic elections.

5.     Besides, if the FAFEN has some suggestions/ ideas in this regard, those could be presented to the National Assembly’s standing committee on parliamentary affairs, as it has planned to arrange a session with all the stakeholders.