ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has submitted its nominations for the parliamentary committee on electoral reforms, proposing five members from the National Assembly and two from the Senate, ARY News reported.
The PPP has sent the names to National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq for inclusion in the electoral reforms committee.
Sources said the party has nominated Shazia Marri, Qadir Patel, Ali Qasim Gilani, Nawabzada Iftikhar and Sadiq Memon from the National Assembly.
For the Senate, the PPP has proposed Senator Zameer Ghumro and Senator Farooq H. Naek after being asked to nominate two members for the committee.
Earlier, the government contacted opposition parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), to seek nominations for the parliamentary committee on electoral reforms. However, the opposition raised objections to the proposed composition of the committee.
Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry contacted PTI Chief Whip Amir Dogar and asked the party to nominate members for the committee.
During the conversation, Amir Dogar expressed reservations about the proposed composition, questioning how meaningful electoral reforms could be carried out when 15 government members were proposed against five opposition members.
He suggested reviewing the composition of the parliamentary committee formed for electoral reforms between 2013 and 2018 and called for examining its structure before proceeding with the new arrangement.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was considering reducing its representation in the parliamentary committee to accommodate its coalition partners.
According to sources, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wants to take all coalition partners on board and ensure their representation in the committee.
Consultations are underway to provide representation to the PPP, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and other allied parties.
Sources said the PML-N may reduce its share in proportion to its representation in parliament to make room for coalition partners.
The possibility of including one National Assembly member each from the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Zia is also under consideration.
