KARACHI: Central Information Secretary Pakistan People’s Party and MNA Shazia Atta Marri has said that apex court has rejected the presidential reference seeking Senate elections through open ballot, and clearly directed the authorities concerned that Senate polls should be held through secret ballot as per Article 226 of the Constitution.
PPP welcomes the apex court opinion on the presidential reference, she said in a statement on Monday. “In this connection, the Supreme Court has declared it mandatory to abide by the Constitution”, she added. She further said the apex court had clarified that Senate elections were the part of the constitution and should also be held in accordance with it. She uttered that PTI-led government should refrain from making apex court controversial in this regard.
She further said that both the governments’ presidential reference and the ordinance had expired after this opinion of the apex court. “The government cannot run the country through merely promulgating ordinances,” she added.
Marri further said that the government looked worried after the court opinion on presidential reference regarding senate polls and further said Election Commission of Pakistan cannot violate the constitution of the country due to government’s pressure. Moreover, she said PTI leadership has no trust in their own members.