Islamabad : Information Minister Shibli Faraz has said the Supreme Court’s judgement in Presidential reference is historic under which the Senate elections will be held as per Article 226 of the constitution.

Talking to the media persons in Peshawar on Monday, he said the apex court has directed the Election Commission of Pakistan to use the latest technology and take the necessary steps to ensure transparency in the polls. He said the court has also ruled that secrecy of ballot is not permanent.

The Information Minister asked the Election Commission of Pakistan to take requisite steps for ensuring transparency in the Senate elections in the light of the Supreme Court’s decision.

ISLAMABAD : The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the forthcoming Senate elections are to be held through secret ballot under Article 226 of the country’s Constitution.

The apex court’s 4:1 decision, however, held that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is empowered to take all measures to hold free and fair elections and curb corrupt practices under Article 218 of the Constitution. The bench further observed that the secrecy is not “absolute”.

A five-judge larger bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Mushir Alam, Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Yahya Afridi pronounced the reserved opinion.

Justice Afridi dissented from the majority opinion.

The court had reserved its opinion after all the lawyers had concluded their arguments. At the last hearing, Justice Gulzar Ahmed observed that Parliament only passes resolutions for transparency of the electoral process.

Attorney General Khalid Javed after completion of the arguments of the lawyers in his rejoinder argued that the scrutiny of the vote could not hurt the secrecy. “The presidential reference is not based on a political question, but it seeks interpretation of the Article 226,” the AG argued.

“Will the supreme court’s opinion will be final,” Justice Yahya Afridi asked. “The government will be bound to the court’s opinion,” AG said. “A review plea could be filed over the court’s opinion,” Justice Afridi said.

“Review petition could not be filed over the reference,” the state lawyers. “The court have no relation with the politics, it will only interpret the constitution,” the chief justice said.

Invites MNAs of PPP and allied parties for lunch in the Sindh House

Nehal Miraj

ISLAMABAD: Former President of Pakistan and Co-Chairman of PPP Asif Ali Zardari has invited the PDM leadership for lunch in the Sindh House on Monday.

According to details the former President has invited members of the National Assembly as well. The PPP co-chairman has also invited MNAs of all allied parties. Sources close to this development have further revealed that Asif Zardari has jumped into the fray in order to get Yousaf Raza Gillani elected as senator.

The former President, who is well known for his political wheeling and dealing, wants to make sure that Yousaf Raza Gillani not only gets votes of PPP and the allied parties but votes of other likeminded parliamentarians also.

The Senate election takes place on March 3 but it is still unclear whether it will be through open or secret ballot. Therefore all eyes are on the apex court which will deliver its opinion today.

ISLAMABAD, FEB 28 – PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Sunday that the opposition’s 10-party alliance, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), is prepared for both open and secret balloting in the upcoming Senate polls, amid the government’s push to introduce legislation for a show of hands during voting.

The PPP chairman was speaking to the media in Islamabad along with PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and PPP leader Yousuf Raza Gilani a day before the Supreme Court is expected to issue its opinion on the presidential reference seeking the apex court’s view on holding Senate elections through open ballot.

The opinion will be announced in the open court by a five-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed at 9am on Monday. The top court reserved its opinion on the issue on Thursday after concluding the arguments.

Bilawal, in today’s media talk, said that he hoped that the SC’s opinion will be “in accordance with the law and the Constitution”, adding that the secret ballot enjoyed “constitutional protection” whether in the Senate elections or the general elections.

He said that in the upcoming Senate polls, the opposition alliance wanted to show that “even members of parliament are not with the government but with the PDM”, and expressed hope that the opposition’s candidates would be elected with “good and surprising results”.

Rehman echoed Bilawal’s thoughts and noted there was “an atmosphere of disappointment to be seen in the ranks of the government”.

“Hopefully good results will come out,” the JUI-F chief said.

“[This] will give power to every movement, march and move of ours and we will be successful in our goal and mission of sending this puppet government and prime minister [back] home,” said Bilawal.

The PDM hoped to establish a national government, insisted Bilawal, which would represent the people and solve their problems while institutions worked within their sphere, and the parliament took decisions about the country’s future and fate.

Rehman said the PDM’s unity in the four provinces was “good news for the nation” and the alliance would be contesting the Senate elections according to a mutually agreed plan of action. “The different parties of the PDM did not break each other’s votes as they (the government) thought. We are united for the Senate elections and will achieve successful results.”

The JUI-F chief clarified that the PDM was a movement and not an electoral alliance even though they “personally try not to break away each others’ [votes] and try to contest the elections together”. He said that PDM members can decide to contest elections separately due to “special circumstances” — referring to the Awami National Party contesting its own candidate in the Nowshera (PK-63) by-poll.

‘More power in that demand’

In response to a question regarding an alliance with MQM-Pakistan, Bilawal said that he hoped the MQM-P “will be with us”.

He pointed out that MQM-P — an ally of the PTI government — had been elected from Karachi which had been “abandoned” by the federal government.

“We think that they are asking the government for Karachi’s rights [but] there will be more power in that demand [if raised] from the PDM or the opposition’s platform.”

Bilawal admitted that the PDM had been in contact with MQM-P as well as other members of the treasury benches, adding that they had a free vote and there was “no limitation on government MNAs or allies to support [only] the government in the Senate elections”.

Separately, Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani also confirmed that a delegation of his party had visited the MQM-P to request them to vote for the PPP’s nominees in the Senate elections. He said the MQM-P would have a “political advantage” in securing technocrat and women’s seats in Sindh if they supported the PPP.

“We are not buying or selling any votes, all political parties have the political right to seek votes for their candidates from other political parties.”