Senate body urges concerted efforts to prevent election interference

ISLAMABAD: The Senate standing committee on parliamentary affairs on Monday called for coordinated efforts to prevent any interference in order to ensure free, fair and transparent elections in future.

The panel met here with its chairman Dr. Muhammad Humayun Mohmand in the chair, who underlined the need for fair and transparent electoral processes by improving the existing system.

The committee members examined a comparative analysis of past elections, deliberating that 2008 and 2013 elections were relatively better than others.

The panel members engaged in a detailed discussion on the efficient disposal of election petitions by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and tribunals established by the commission.

Senator Humayun suggested that discussions should be held with the ECP to analyse the percentage of sitting and retired judges in order to determine who is handling the most cases and disposing of them efficiently.

He also recommended that in the next meeting, the elections of 2008, 2013, 2018, and 2024 should be analysed to determine whether rigging in these elections was based on one specific issue or multiple factors.

Senator Pervaiz Rashid emphasised the need to prevent powerful groups from interfering in electoral results for self-serving interests. He added that political parties must agree to refrain from manipulating the process and avoid interference, stressing the importance of ensuring that their own parties fulfill their duty to prevent such interference.

Similarly, Senator Khalida Ateeb highlighted the extent of interference, with political parties being restricted in choosing which constituencies they can contest.

Senator Farooq Hamid Naek noted that political parties must agree to work together and avoid disruptions. He stated that they should focus on solving one issue at a time.

Senator Humayun Mohmand stressed the importance of a comparative analysis based on figures, stating that clarity could be achieved by comparing the number of complaints received at the provincial and national levels.

The committee was also briefed on overseas voting in the elections for Parliament and provincial assemblies.

According to a January 2025 report, 9.9 million overseas Pakistanis are now eligible to vote. Additionally, the prospects for improving the voting system for women and minorities in parliament and provincial assemblies were discussed. The president of Pildat emphasised that the current system is unreliable for women and minorities and requires substantial improvement.

During the extensive discussion, the president and secretary general of Pildat provided a historical overview of elections in Pakistan. The chairman of the committee emphasised that if the electoral system fails, the reasons must be clearly identified.