MULTAN: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Saturday that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) wanted to hold elections via electronic voting machines (EVMs) as it wants to “strengthen democracy” and put an end to an “outdated system”.

FM Qureshi said this during a function held at various union councils of Multan’s NA-156, and meetings with different delegations.

“We made an attempt to utilise modern technology to ensure that the next elections should be transparent and no political party could make claims of rigging,” FM Qureshi was quoted in a press release.

The senior PTI leader said that the federal government wants to rid of the word “rigging” forever from the country’s dictionary.

Read more: Parliament approves use of EVMs, voting rights to overseas Pakistanis amid ruckus

“Overseas Pakistanis are the backbone of the country’s economy as they are sending billions of rupees,” said Qureshi and questioned why they were not allowed to vote earlier. The government has given the expatriates their basic right, he said.

The foreign minister maintained that overseas Pakistanis are well-wishers of the country and want to take part in the election process.

“They have always wished eradication of corruption, promotion of justice and better governance in Pakistan,” remarked Qureshi.

Parliament approves use of EVMs, voting rights to overseas Pakistanis amid ruckus

The foreign minister’s remarks on the EVMs and voting rights to overseas Pakistanis came two days after the Parliament passed important bills paving the way for their use in the 2023 elections.

Amid a ruckus, the joint session of parliament on Wednesday ended with the House passing 33 bills, including controversial amendments in the Election Act, and deferring one bill.

The bills that were passed also included two of the opposition and the deferred bill was focused on election reforms.

The regular agenda of the joint sitting of the Parliament had 60 items including 29 bills and later on supplementary agenda was also introduced on the floor.

Read more: A costly affair

The government deferred one bill which had appeared on the order of the day and managed to pass the other 28 bills. Five bills that were introduced in the supplementary order were also passed by the joint sitting.

The Election (Second Amendment) Bill 2021 was among the few that were passed. It has been one of the most controversial bills of the government as it would enable the Election Commission of Pakistan to use electronic voting machines (EVMs) in polls.