ISLAMABAD, 23 April 2008 — Pakistan’s Chief Election Commissioner Qazi Muhammad Farooq has constituted an electoral reforms committee to propose reforms. The decision comes after a report by European Union observers on the Feb. 18 vote.
The committee, headed by Election Commission Secretary Kanwar Muhammad Dilshad, will have six other members.
Elaborating on the mandate of the committee, Dilshad said it would suggest electoral reforms and appropriate amendments in the existing electoral laws and related acts, rules, regulations, procedures and processes. “These reforms would be made, where necessary, and in the light of reports by international and national election observation groups or missions, particularly the European Union election observation mission and the Canadian High Commission group,” he said.
Dilshad said that while preparing its report, the committee would keep in mind the sociopolitical environment of the country and the best practices of the developed and developing countries of the world.
The committee, he said, will critically analyze the entire electoral process and related areas with the endeavor to make the electoral process more transparent and credible and in compliance with international standards.
