ISLAMABAD: The ruling coalition partners have formally submitted the names of their nominees for the proposed parliamentary committee on electoral reforms, while nominations from opposition parties are still awaited.
Talking to Dawn, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry confirmed that he had received the names from coalition parties, including the PPP.
Declining to disclose the names, the minister said the committee would comprise 30 members from the National Assembly and the Senate, with parties receiving representation proportionate to their strength in the two houses of parliament.
Committee Composition and Seat Allocation
Under the formula, he said, the PPP would have seven members on the committee, while the PML-N would be allocated 10 seats. However, he added: “The PML-N may have to sacrifice some of its members to accommodate smaller parties.”
Opposition yet to submit nominees for parliamentary panel on reforms as PTI doubts govt intent
The minister said he had requested the chief whip of the main opposition party, PTI, Aamir Dogar, to provide a list of the party’s nominees for the committee, but Mr Dogar had sought some time. The other opposition party, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), had also not submitted the names of its proposed members, he said.
The PTI had objected to the composition of the committee, he said, adding that he had informed the party that all previous parliamentary committees had been constituted on a proportional basis.
The minister expressed hope that the PTI would announce its decision next week.
Interestingly, Dr Chaudhry said his own party, the ruling PML-N, had shortlisted names for the committee, but these would be submitted to the National Assembly Secretariat only after final approval from the party leadership.
Replying to a question, Dr Chaudhry said that if opposition parties decided to boycott the committee, the leadership of the ruling coalition parties would make a final decision on the matter.
In a recent post on X, Dr Chaudhry had said that the allocation of seats in the Senate for the committee would give two seats each to the PML-N, PPP and PTI. The Awami National Party (ANP), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), National Party and JUI-F would each be allocated one seat, he had stated.
“The final decision on the names of committee members will be made by the leader of the house [the prime minister] and the deputy prime minister after consultations with the opposition, coalition partners and relevant parliamentary leaders,” Dr Chaudhry said.
Earlier this week, the government, taking ownership of an initiative to bring all parliamentary parties, including the opposition, to the negotiating table on electoral reforms, had formally approached its allies to join the proposed Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms (PCER).
PTI Serious About Reforms
When contacted, PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said the party was serious about electoral reforms but had doubts that the government wanted to ensure PTI’s representation on the committee merely to legitimise the process.
“The government wants to have five opposition members on the committee. With five members, we will not be able to implement our proposals,” he explained.
Replying to a question, Sheikh Waqas said the matter would first have to be discussed in the party’s political committee and then in its parliamentary and core committees.
“We held meetings of both committees a few days ago, but due to Imran Khan’s health issues, it was decided to limit their agenda to one point — the health of Imran Khan,” he said.
He said the PTI was very clear about its position on electoral reforms and wanted electronic voting machines and a mechanism to ensure that no one could rig elections.
“It was the PTI that introduced electronic voting machines and tried them in Pakistan,” he said.
Asked how many days the PTI would take to decide whether to become part of the electoral reforms committee, Mr Waqas said meetings of the parliamentary and core committees would be held within two to three days to make a decision.
“However, I want to make it clear that the PTI wants electoral reforms and will become part of any sincere effort to ensure that true representatives of the masses run the country,” he said.
JUI-F Position
Talking to Dawn, JUI-F spokesperson Aslam Ghouri said the party had not yet made any decision regarding the PCER.
He expressed hope that the matter would soon be discussed by the party’s executive committee.
Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2026
Source: dawn