The MQM-P has decided to support the government on the EVM bill in the joint sitting of Parliament scheduled to be held tomorrow (November 17).
Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Syed Aminul Haq on Tuesday confirmed that MQM-P will support the government over the new legislation proposed in the joint session.
"This decision was taken after consultation with the coordination committee," Haq said, mentioning that the party was briefed on electronic voting machines by the defederal science and technology minister a day earlier.
The minister said that MQM-P will support the government on the EVM bill.
He further added that on their request, a bill regarding Hyderabad University and the census will also be presented in the joint meeting.
Ministry of Science and Technology briefs MQM-P on EVMs
The science and technology ministry had failed to convince the government's ally MQM-P on the use of EVMs in the next elections.
Minister of Science and Technology Shibli Faraz had briefed an MQM-P delegation on Monday.
Sources privy to the matter had said that the briefing couldn't satisfy the delegation on the use of EVMs, therefore, the decision to continue consultations on the matter was made.
When asked if the EVMs will avoid rigging or facilitate digital rigging in the polling process, MQM-P Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqi had said that the government has only partially briefed the allied parties regarding the use of EVMs.
He had also said that briefings regarding EVMs will continually take place.
Siddiqi was speaking to the media after the briefing.
The government has decided to convene a joint sitting of Parliament on Wednesday, November 17 as it continues its efforts to coax political allies PML-Q and the MQM-P to rein in their support for the bills it plans to table on EVMs, NAB and other issues.
