Parliamentary committee to probe charges of rigging in elections: Shah Mehmood
18 September, 2018
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi announced on Tuesday that a "transparent" parliamentary committee will be formed to probe charges of rigging in the July 25 elections on the opposition’s demand.
Speaking during a session of the National Assembly that is currently underway, the minister revealed that the probe body will have equal representation from the government and the opposition.
The committee will be headed by a lawmaker belonging to the government, while no members of the Senate will be its members.
Qureshi had earlier announced that the probe committee will have proportionate representation from the treasury and opposition benches; however, the government agreed to equal representation from either sides after talks with opposition leaders.
The parliamentary committee will prepare the terms of reference (ToR) to investigate the charges of rigging in the July 25 elections, Qureshi said, adding that the body will be "empowered".
In response to PPP lawmaker Shazia Marri's demand that the committee be led by an opposition member, Qureshi said such committees are usually headed by the government and previously a similar committee was led by former finance minister Ishaq Dar.
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