ISLAMABAD: The federal government has invited the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to join the proposed parliamentary committee on electoral reforms and nominate its representatives.
Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry contacted PTI Chief Whip Amir Dogar by telephone to discuss the committee’s formation and request the opposition party’s participation.
During the conversation, Dogar asked about the proposed composition of the committee. Chaudhry said representation would be allocated according to the parliamentary strength of political parties, with 15 seats for the government and five for the opposition.
Questioning the proposed arrangement, Dogar said the opposition would have limited influence with such a small number of representatives. He called for revising the representation formula and suggested adopting the arrangement used for the electoral reforms committee formed in 2013.
Dogar said PTI would communicate its decision after consulting the party’s parliamentary leadership. He also demanded an investigation into what he described as the theft of PTI’s mandate in the previous general elections.
Chaudhry said the committee’s terms of reference would be finalised after its formal notification. He urged the opposition to submit its nominees promptly so the notification process could proceed.
Earlier, the parliamentary affairs minister had also written to PPP Chief Whip Aijaz Jakhrani and MQM’s Aminul Haque, seeking nominations from their respective parties for the proposed committee.