THE government’s assurance to the ECP that it won’t steamroller electoral reforms into law is encouraging. Stakeholders in recent weeks have levelled severe criticism against the government for pushing amendments through ordinances and bypassing the consultative process on the subject. The issue of including the granting of voting rights to overseas Pakistanis and the use of electronic voting machines in the next general elections became an especially controversial one, so the attorney general’s assurance to the poll body that the right process will be followed is indeed welcome. The new participatory tone taken by the government is further underlined by the fact that a motion seeking the formation of a parliamentary committee on electoral reforms has already been adopted in the National Assembly.