The government has made the decision to convene a joint sitting of parliament on Wednesday to get controversial bills, one on the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), passed.
Prime Minister Imran Khan summoned a meeting of the government allies Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q). The purpose of the meeting was to gain support for the legislation.
However, after the meeting, the coalition partners remained uncertain regarding their support for the bills, including those related to EVMs and granting voting rights to more than nine million overseas Pakistanis.
Meanwhile, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, insisted that the government allies had expressed confidence in the leadership of Prime Minister Khan and assured him of voting in favor of the bills.
Chaudhry said during the press conference, “Reservations of the coalition partners have been removed and the government had unanimously decided to convene a joint session of the parliament on Wednesday”.
He added, “The pending bills, including the one related to electoral reforms, would be presented in the session of the parliament”.
The minister shared that the leadership of PTI’s allies known as the Grand Democratic Alliance, comprising Balochistan Awami Party, MQM, and PML-Q, had met the prime minister and “expressed full confidence in his leadership”.
Speaking on the occasion, Sheikh Rashid added that PM Khan had listened to the reservations of the allies and given them assurances that their concerns will be addressed.
Ahmed said, “The allies have assured the prime minister that they will support all eight or 10 bills to be tabled in the joint sitting of the parliament”.
According to reports, PML-Q Information Secretary Kamil Ali Agha said that the party leader, Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, who was present at the meeting at the Prime Minister’s House, had not yet decided on whether the Q-League would support the bills.
The PML-Q leaders met in Lahore for two consecutive days (Sunday and Monday) and reached a conclusion that “it will be harmful to the party if it continues to stick with the ruling coalition”, Agha said.
He added that the party had reservations about the government’s “faulty” economic policies, unprecedented price hike, a sharp increase in the cost of petroleum products, shortage of gas and electricity, increasing corruption and lawlessness in the country.
MQM also gave the impression that it had not taken a final decision, MQM chief Khalid Maqbool, when contacted, said, “We will talk on the matter after a party meeting.”
