ISLAMABAD: Opposition lawmakers in Upper House of parliament on Wednesday demanded representation in the proposed National Assembly’s committee to probe alleged rigging in the July 25 polls. The opposition senators were of the view that the July 2018 election was heavily rigged as was apprehended before the general election. The election process should be made free and fair always, they maintained. They demanded the constitution of a broad-based, independent and empowered parliamentary commission to probe the alleged rigging. Speaking in the Senate, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Javed Abbasi expressed reservations over the constitution of NA committee, saying that the Senate had demanded the constitution of a parliamentary commission to probe the alleged rigging with inclusion of senators in the committee. Presiding officer Sitara Ayaz told the Senate that the inclusion of lawmakers in the proposed committee being constituted to probe alleged rigging would be decided on Monday as a letter had been written to the National Assembly speaker. She said that the speaker’s reply might come on Monday. She made these remarks when Standing Committee on Interior Chairman Senator Abdur Rehman Malik presented the third progress monitoring and inquiry report of the committee on the general elections. Senator Rehman Malik said that a comprehensive report had been prepared by the committee on alleged rigging in the recent elections. “I am ready to give a presentation to the committee members of National Assembly, so that they could start their working from where we finished.” Lt Gen (r) Abdul Qayyum said the probe commission should be authorised to frame its own terms of references (ToRs) and it should be made fully empowered. Kulsoom Parveen criticised the interim government for not ensuring transparency in the general elections. Senator Muhammad Akram demanded re-elections in Balochistan, saying rigging was reported from all constituencies of the province. Mir Kabeer Ahmed Muhammad Shahi criticised the government for what he said artificial austerity measures. “Senators should be included in the parliamentary commission on equal basis,” he demanded. Leader of the House in the Senate Shibli Faraz said that his party had already announced to constitute NA committee to probe the election rigging. Senators Jahanzaib Jamaldini of the Balochistan National Party and Usman Khan Kakar of the Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party said that the commission should be authoritative enough to conduct impartial inquiry into allegations and should have representatives of both houses of the parliament. Meanwhile, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had agreed to form a parliamentary committee on alleged elections rigging without any sit-in or protest call by the opposition. Talking to the media outside the Parliament House, he said that once PTI was demanding parliamentary commission on elections 2013 and after a long protest and sit-in the government agreed to form the commission. He said that the committee would set TORs in this regard. Also the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Bill 2018 was presented before the House. State Minister for Revenue Hammad Azhar presented the bill on behalf of Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui. The presiding officer referred the bill to the standing committee concerned. Earlier, Senator Keshoo Bai of the Pakistan People’s Party presented a report on missing persons in Sindh and other areas of the country on behalf of the Functional Committee on Human Rights Chairman Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar. Published in Daily Times, September 20th 2018.