Sindh opposes open ballot for Senate elections

ISLAMABAD: The Sindh government submitted on Monday its response to the presential reference seeking an opinion on open ballot for the upcoming Senate elections before the Supreme Court, reported ARY News.

It stated that the presidential reference was filed out of political expediency.

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“No legal point has been raised in the reference by the president,” the Advocate General Sindh contended, requesting the top court to refuse to give any opinion on the matter.

He said the Senate polls are held under Article 226 of the country’s constitution and that the Election Act 2017 lays down a method for conducting the polls.

It is noteworthy that the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have supported the presidential reference.

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“It is the considered view of the Punjab that the reference in question may kindly be answered in the affirmative so that by undertaking necessary remedial statutory action, the Election Act 2017 is amended and enable the elections to the Senate to be held through open ballot,” Advocate General of Punjab Ahmad Awais said in a reply.

Whereas, the KP advocate general said: “This provincial government supports the reference No. 01, 2020, sent by the President to this Honourable Court.”