Chairman Senate consults over presidential reference with AG

ISLAMABAD: Attorney General Khalid Javed Khan on Wednesday called on Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani and briefed him about the Presidential reference filed in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, ARY News reported.

Khalid Javed Khan briefed Sadiq Sanjrani about the reference filed by the government seeking open ballot vote in the upcoming elections of the Senate.

It is to be mentioned here that a bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed has issued notices to Chairman Senate, Speaker National Assembly, Speakers of provincial assemblies, Advocate Generals and the Election Commission of Pakistan over the matter.

Chairman Senate consulted with the Attorney General over reply to the notice of the supreme court, sources said.

The court will resume further hearing of the presidential reference on January 11.

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

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