ISLAMABAD: Attorney General resumed his arguments on Tuesday in the presidential reference seeking open ballot in upcoming Senate election before a larger Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed.
Attorney General Khalid Javed advancing his case before the Supreme Court, said that the upcoming Senate elections have less than one month remaining and soon the trading will begin.
“Why the opposition not agreeing over the open ballot vote,” Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed questioned. “The opposition parties were agreed 10 years ago but now they are failing to fulfill their commitment,” the state counsel said.
“A Charter of Democracy was agreed between two former prime ministers. In 2010 the 18th Constitutional Amendment was passed but no clause added to the promised legislation for preventing horse trading in the senate election,” the attorney general further said.
“It is upto the election commission to stop the trading of votes,”Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan remarked. “The election commission is supporting secret ballot vote. It has hired a lawyer for its representation,” AG further said.
“We want open ballot only for the sake of transparency,” he said.
“People’s Party and the PML-N haven’t opposed the presidential reference,” the CJP said. “The JUI and Jamat Islami have opposed the reference,” the attorney general said.
The reference was submitted by the Attorney General of Pakistan Khalid Javed Khan after getting approved by President Dr Arif Alvi under Article 186 of the Constitution.
