ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Friday said the government had no objection if the CEC had any personal sympathy with Nawaz Sharif as obviously he had remained in close contact with the former prime minister in past.

Addressing a news conference along with Minister for Railways Muhammad Azam Khan Swati and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Dr Zaheer-ud-Din Babar Awan Fawad said that nobody would be allowed to undermine the Parliament’s supremacy.

The minister said that let it be clear that whether it was any institution, it would have to follow the acts passed by Parliament

He said if ECP had any objection on use of technology and any improvement in system they should share with the government.

He asked the CEC to present himself as a head of the state institution instead of issuing directions instructions to different organizations with regard to the EVMs.

The CEC should forthwith stop politicking while being head of the ECP, he said, adding if he had interest in politics then he should leave the post and contest election for entering into political arena.

The minister said the logic of ECP that the Parliament had no right to guide it on electoral procedure was ‘unfair’ as the Article 218 of the constitution itself stated that the polls would be held in accordance with the law.

He said the opposition especially former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and his cohorts were trying to make constitutional amendments relating to the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the next general election controversial.

However, the party which stressed over giving ‘respect to vote’ did not cooperate with the government on electoral reforms and always came up with a deal whenever asked for the initiative, he added.

The government proposed the reforms after studying election systems of various countries and came to a conclusion that introduction of technology was panacea to end all the controversies regarding election for once and all, he added.