Federal Minister says no EVM will be used in Pakistan election
May 13, 2022
London [UK], May 13 : Electronic voting machines will not be used in the next general election in Pakistan, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said.
The remarks came after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and federal ministers' meeting with the PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif at his son Hussain Nawaz's residence in London.
The meeting was the second meeting since the prime minister and his delegation flew to London to meet Nawaz.
Addressing media on Thursday, the minister said that the incumbent government will "abolish" the idea of EVMs.
The first session of the crucial Pakistan Muslim League (N) huddle in London decided that there will be no early elections in Islamabad and the primary focus of the Shehbaz Sharif-led government should be on providing economic relief to the citizens and taking long-term economic decisions.
The six-hour-long meeting was held among Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, his brother and the party supremo Nawaz Sharif and other leaders, including Khwaja Asif, Miftah Ismail, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Atta Tarar, Rana Sanaullah, Ishaq Dar, Ayaz Sadiq, at an undisclosed location in London, The News International citing sources.
Notably, the former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has been continuously calling for early general elections in the country since he lost the no-confidence motion in the National Assembly.
Shehbaz Sharif arrived in London to meet his brother Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday. Nawaz, who is convicted in a corruption case, has been living in London on the pretext of ill health since 2019. The former Pakistan PM sought extensions to prolong his stay in London on medical grounds.
According to Nawaz, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had left Pakistan in a deep economic crisis.
Last month, Nawaz had also conducted meetings with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who was later appointed Pakistan's federal minister.
The two allies had agreed to work closely to "repair the rot across the board," read a joint statement.
