ISLAMABAD, Aug 18 (INP): Opposition parties in the national assembly Friday rejected the Election Bill, 2017 saying that it would not help in holding of transparent elections in 2018. Taking part in the discussion on the bill, the opposition members demanded formation of a new election commission through the parliamentary committee. In addition the members demanded that overseas Pakistanis be given the right to vote through biometric confirmation of the voters. PTI’s Shireen Mazari, PPP’s Syed Naveed Qamar, MQM-P’s S.A.Iqbal Qadri and JI’s Sahabzada Tariqullah complained that the Electoral Reforms Committee did not receive support from Election Commission of Pakistan and NADRA to the extent it was required and alleged that the Bureaucratic mindset does not want change. The members said by fixing Rs 40 lakh as election expenditure for the National and Provincial Assemblies, the poor have been denied to contest the elections. They feared that like articles 62 and 63, the article relating to expenditure in the election bill could be used against the Parliamentarians. The members said all the parties played their part in the preparation of the electoral reforms but the bill presented in the house by the government has different lacunas which need to be overcome. They said that the bill should be finalized in such a way that no one can raise objection on the next General Elections otherwise all the efforts will go in vain. The members said that the caretaker government should be formulated on fifty percent proposals each from the Government and Opposition. They said that the biometric system should be introduced in the next General Elections for verification and identifications of the voters. INP/AH