Federal Minister for Commerce Naveed Qamar unanimously elected convener of the Parliamentary Committee Examining Proposed Amendments to the Elections Act, 2017 by ECP. A meeting of the Parliamentary Committee, constituted to examine the proposed amendments to the Elections Act, 2017 by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), was held at the Parliament House on Friday to elect the Convener of the Committee. Senator Taj Haider proposed the name of MP Naveed Qamar, Federal Minister for Commerce, as Convener of the committee, which was unanimously seconded by MP Engr. Sabir Hussain Kaim Khani.

In his acceptance speech, MP Naveed Qamar expressed his gratitude and pledged to work collaboratively with the committee to fulfil their responsibilities. The members present at the meeting acknowledged the significance of the Committee and professed their support to accomplish the assigned task in due time. Naveed Qamar thanked the members of the committee and assured them that he would fulfil the confidence placed in him. He apprised the members of the formation of the Parliamentary Committee and the Chief Election Commissioner's (CEC) letter addressed to the Honourable Chairman Senate and Speaker National Assembly, proposing amendments to Sections 57(1) and 58 of the Elections Act 2017, to do away with the president's role in determining the date for the General Election.

During the meeting, the proposed amendments to Sections 57(1) and 58 of the Elections Act 2017 were reviewed. The Convener of the Committee stressed that all members should thoroughly review the proposed amendments to ensure that nothing contradicts the Constitution. The Committee decided to hold the next meeting on April 19 to further deliberate upon the matter. The meeting was attended by Senators Taj Haider, Kamran Murtaza, MPs Mohsin Nawaz Ranjha, Engr. Sabir Hussain Kaim Khani, Secretary Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, and a representative from the Ministry of Law. This Committee's election of a Convener is a significant step towards ensuring the smooth conduct of elections and the protection of democratic values in Pakistan.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP