PPP-P prays Supreme Court to send back Presidential Reference

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party-Parliamentarians (PPP-P) has filed a plea with the Supreme Court of Pakistan against a presidential reference seeking apex court’s advice on open ballot Senate elections, ARY NEWS reported.

The petition pleading the apex court to send back the presidential reference as the Senate elections held under Article 226 of the constitution.

“A bill of 26th Constitutional Amendment has been pending in the Parliament,” the petition further said.

According to the PPP-P petition, the government has changed its stance after failing to amend the constitution. “The government has filed the presidential reference to achieve its political objectives,” the  petition said.

The petition has been filed by PPP-P Secretary and former senator Farhatullah Babar in the apex court.

It is pertinent to mention here that a five-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, hearing the presidential reference seeking advice from the top court on holding Senate elections through an open ballot.

The Supreme Court while hearing the presidential reference on Monday, summoned the Chief Election Commissioner and the members of the election commission today.

The court also asked the election commission to present a scheme to get rid of corrupt practices in the election of the upper house.

Earlier, the PPP had filed an application in the apex court through Nayyar Hussain Bukhari to become a party in the presidential reference, praying to answer the reference in negative.

The federal government, filed the presidential reference on December 23 in court, had sought the opinion of Supreme Court on holding the upcoming elections for the Senate through open ballot.