ISLAMABAD: The Youth Parl­i­ament Pakistan has called for a thorough probe into delays in compilation and transmission of results of recently held general elections.

In its third virtual session, the Youth Parliament urged the ECP to conduct an inquiry into lack of contingency planning in case of failure of its much-touted Election Management System (EMS).

It also observed that thorough investigation should be conducted into failure to publish signed copies of forms 45, 46, 48 and 49 within legally mandated timelines.

It said while election tribunals resolve poll disputes on a case-by-case basis, the parliament should deliberate on if there was a need for a Commission of Enquiry, similar to the one formed after the 2013 general elections.

The youth from across the country converged online to participate in the session, which featured discussions, Youth Standing Com­mit­tee elections and insights into the future of governance. In the parliament session, 104 primary members and 54 alternate members participated. They represented all National Assembly constituencies of the country, besides Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and overseas Pakistanis.

Amna Kausar, Acting Speaker of the session and Senior Projects Manager at Pildat/YPP, opened the session.

The session proceeded with a presentation by Ms Alena Sadiq, Projects Officer at Pildat.

Key points of the presentation highlighted evolution of Pakistan’s electoral process since 2002, with focus on the three phases of elections: pre-poll, polling day and post-poll. The methodology and process of the Pildat survey were explained, which assessed the fairness and key issues during each phase. The presentation also addressed speculations surrounding the Election Management System (EMS) and the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) justifications regarding its use.

A comparative assessment of the quality of elections was also presented, culminating in recommendations for ECP and Parliament to further improve the poll process.

After the presentation, the floor opened up for an interactive Q&A session that encouraged active participation and exchange of diverse viewpoints.

Some important points raised during the youth session included the impartiality of the Election Commission of Pakistan, the need for a transparent judicial commission and the ECP’s reliance on te­­c­hnology as an excuse. Additio­nally, Members of Youth Parliament won­­dered whether the youth would participate in the next general elections given the current circumstances.

Furthermore, they emphasised on the subjects of the Charter of Democracy and manipulation of forms 45 and 47. Following this, the elections for the remaining YPP Standing Committees took place, wherein MYPs effectively established 14 standing committees and elected 56 office-bearers.

Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2024