Supreme Court Opines Against Open Ballot in Senate Voting

The apex court has given its opinion on the voting method of the Senate election in response to the presidential reference that the voting would not be done through secret balloting.

Supreme Court (SC) has unfurled its verdict reserved on the presidential reference filed to seek opinion to hold Senate election via open ballot without amendment in the constitution.

The case was heard by a five-member larger bench of the SC headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was hopeful to get a green-signal from the apex court on the Senate poll scheduled on March 3.

It had vehemently maintained that open ballot would end horse-trading in the election of the upper house of the parliament.

Federal Minister for Information & Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz said the rejecters of open balloting want a continuation of the corrupt system in the country.

He expressed that it has become clear before the nation who was standing on which side in the historic moment pertaining to the issue of transparency in the Senate poll.

اوپن بیلٹ کے مخالف ملک میں کرپٹ نظام کا تسلسل چاہتے ہیں۔پاکستان تحریک انصاف وہ جماعت ہے جس نے نظام میں شفافیت اور ملک میں کرپشن کے خاتمے کو ایک تحریک کی شکل دی۔عمران خان اس مقصد کے حصول کی جدوجہد سے پیچھے نہیں ہٹیں گے۔

— Senator Shibli Faraz (@shiblifaraz) February 28, 2021

Meanwhile, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and other opposition parties as well as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) went against the proposition in the SC and defended the current method of the election during the proceedings.

However, PPP which is expected to give a tough time to the government in the upper house balloting has maintained that it is ready for what may come irrespective of the method of polling.

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The ruling party of Sindh has also claimed to ‘surprise’ the government on the election day as it asserts that many lawmakers of the ruling PTI are in contact with it.

Meanwhile, despite several attempts by PPP to placate Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) to gather its support in the Senate poll, the latter has announced to support ruling PTI.

Meanwhile, PPP co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari also called ‘kingmaker’ has come out of its quarantine right before the election date.

He has arrived in Islamabad to hold meetings with party leaders to consult with them on the Senate election.