ISLAMABAD:TheSenateStandingCommitteeonParliamentary Affairs on Tuesday called for electoral reforms in the country, including the establishment of an independent delimitation commission and casting votes through electronic voting machines (EVMs).

Committee Chairman Senator Humayun Mohmand and other members expressed the need for an independent delimitation commission to complete constituency revisions at least six months before any election.

The final noting of the committee was read out by Senator Mohmand also stressed for emphasis on electronic voting machines (EVMs) to reduce rejected votes.

`The number of rejected votes was quite high in Pakistan and thiswas an alarming issue,` he said, adding there were reports about manipulation of postal ballots.

He said in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, postal ballots were very high whereas this facility was low in Punjab and Sindh.

The committee reviewed the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen)`s analysis of the 2024 general elections.

Fafen has suggested that a feasible method for participation could be postal ballots while the representation of minorities should be increased in line with population ratios, similar to the increase in women`s reservedseats from 10 to 60.

Its report note d that while 106,000 postal votes were polled in 265 NA constituencies, 234,802 postal ballots were counted with no verifiable record of how many were issued.

Senator Kamran Murtaza noted, `Until institutional rigging is eliminated, elections will never be transparent and the real issue remains who will tie the bell around the cat`s neck?` The committee received a briefing from Fafen on election-related procedures, anomalies and statistical trends from 1971 to 2024.

It highlighted significant procedural flaws, including the difficulty of filing complaints in election tribunals. It called for simplification of the complaint process to enhance accessibility and justice.

The report said around 18.2 per cent of polling agents did not receive Form 46, a legally required document. The report added that the problems were reported in 92 per cent of vote counting processes with only 8pc properly organised.

Fafen stated that only 48 per cent voter turnout was recorded in 2024, compared to 52 per cent in 2018 and 55.5 per cent in 2013.

It said in 135 out of 265 constituencies, its observers were denied entry to RO offices, and in 36 constituencies, results were allegedly altered by including rejected votes.

It also criticised the lack of legal clarity regarding the validity of multiple Form 45s, calling for a single official version, photocopied and distributed to all agents.

It was also revealed that mobile and internet services were blocked, preventing submission of Form 45 via EMS while the system was originally built around RTS (Result Transmission System).

On the matter of electoral participation, Fafen suggested that overseas Pakistanis should be allowed to vote and contest elections, dual citizens may either be granted conditional participation or have a clear framework for inclusion. The meeting was also attended by Senators Pervaiz Rasheed, Sarmad Ali, the chairperson ofFafen and officials from the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.