Balochistan govt supports open ballot for Senate polls

QUETTA: After Punjab and Pakhtunkhwa, the Balochistan government on Wednesday supported the presidential reference before the Supreme court seeking an opinion on the open ballot for the upcoming Senate polls, ARY News reported.

In a statement, Balochistan government’s spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani said that the provincial government had submitted its reply in the apex court in which they backed open ballot for Senate polls.

Lashing out at the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), Liaquat Shahwani said that the opposition’s alliance did not have any policy for Balochistan.

Contrary to their claims about en masse resignations, the PDM was not ready to by boycott by-elections even on five seats, he added. Liaquat Shahwani claimed that the PDM will not hold long march in the country.

Earlier on 9th Of January, the Punjab government had backed holding the Senate polls with open ballot in its reply over the Presidential reference submitted in the Supreme Court.

The federal government had filed the reference in the apex court under Article 186 of the Constitution seeking its opinion about holding the upcoming Senate polls through the open ballot.

The government had sought opinion of the court if the issue could be decided without amending the constitution by introducing amendment in section 122 (vi) of the Election Act 2017.

Advocate General Punjab had submitted the provincial government’s reply to the court notice, stating that the assembly members used to vote for their personal interest violating party discipline in secret ballot, thus flouting the basic principles of democracy.