The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has been offered technological support by the government to carry out electronic voting, it emerged on Monday.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja and other members of the ECP met with a delegation of federal ministers wherein they were offered the support after the release of the Supreme Court’s (SC) decision to upload electronic voting.
Separately, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill on Monday said that the Supreme Court’s ruling will end horse-trading in Senate.
Talking to a private TV channel Shahbaz Gill said that Prime Minister Imran Khan adopted a clear stance against those involved in vote trading in Senate and the latest ruling of the top court will end the vote corruption in the Upper House.
He said that the ECP has been directed to hold transparent Senate elections and directed to make ballot papers traceable through bar code or serial number.
The traceable ballot papers will end vote-trading through using the technology to spot those involved in corrupt practices, said Shahbaz Gill. The top court orders could not be violated and it is now the duty of the election commission to add serial numbers in the ballot papers, added the PM’s aide on political communication.
He termed the apex court’s ruling as the victory of PM Imran Khan and said that traceable ballot will pave the way to open a probe against the persons involved in vote corruption.
In a Twitter message, Gill said that Allah Almighty has given another victory to Imran Khan against the mafia. He added that PM Imran had earlier introduced neutral umpires in cricket and led a historical sit-in against vote-rigging.
The premier had ousted the persons involved in Senate vote trading and fought a war against horse-trading in Senate in the court and the parliament for the first time in Pakistan, he added.
Earlier in the day, the SC ruled that the forthcoming Senate elections are to be held through secret ballot under Article 226 of the country’s Constitution.
The apex court’s 4:1 majority decision, however, held that the ECP is empowered to take all measures, including the use of the latest technology, to hold free and fair elections and curb corrupt practices under Article 218 of the Constitution.
A five-judge larger bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Mushir Alam, Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Yahya Afridi pronounced the reserved opinion.
The ECP has finalised all arrangements for holding Senate elections on March 3 on those seats which are going to be vacant after expiration of term of incumbent members on March 11.
According to an official of ECP, the polling will be held from 0900 hours to 1700 hours simultaneously in Parliament House Islamabad, and provincial assembly buildings in Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan.
The polling was due on 48 seats- two in Islamabad, 11 each in Punjab and Sindh, and 12 each in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan- that will fall vacant on the expiration of the term of the members. However, on duly electing un-contested candidates on all 11 seats of Punjab, there will be no polling in Punjab.
The election will be held to fill one general seat and one seat for women from the Federal Capital, seven general seats, two seats for women, two seats for Technocrats including Ulema from each province like Punjab, Sindh, KP and Balochistan and one seat for non-Muslims each from KP and Balochistan province.
The commission has appointed returning officers (ROs) and polling officers (POs) to conduct Senate elections. The ECP made these appointments in pursuance of section 105 of the Elections Act, 2017, read with clause (3) of Article 224 of the Constitution of the lslamic Republic of Pakistan.
He said the commission has announced names of duly elected un-contested candidates on various vacant seats of Senate from Punjab included Azam Nazeer Tarar (PML-N) and Syed Ali Zafar (PTI) on Technocrat and Ulema seat while Zarqa Suharwardy Taimur (PTI) and Saadia Abbasi (PML-N) on Women seats besides seven candidates on General seats included Kamil Ali Agha (PML-Q), Saifullah Sarwar Khan Nyazee (PTI), Afnan Ullah Khan (PML-N), Aon Abbas (PTI), Ejaz Ahmad Chaudhry (PTI), Sajid Mir (PML-N) and Irfan-ul-Haq Siddiqui (PML-N).
He said the election campaign for Senate election in the country would come to an end with effect from the midnight falling between the March 1 and 2.
The commission has asked all the political parties and the contesting candidates to follow the provisions of law and exercise self-restraint so that the poll is held in an orderly and peaceful manner on the March 3, he added.
It is pertinent to mention here that the commission has directed all the Chief Secretaries and the Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to ensure presence of any member National or Provincial Assembly in its custody, at their designated polling stations for casting their votes on the polling day of Senate on March 3.
The commission has issued its order while exercising its powers under the Articles of the Constitution as Article 220 of the Constitution read with Section 5 of the Elections Act, 2017 provides that it shall be the duty of all executive authorities in the Federation and in the Provinces to assist the CEC and the ECP in the discharge of his or their functions.
It said that the ECP issued notification to conduct the Senate elections 2021 on February 11, 2021. It added it is the duty of the Election Commission to organise and conduct the election and to make such arrangements as are necessary to ensure that the election is conducted honestly, justly, fairly and in accordance with law and that corrupt practices are guard against.
It said that the SC vide its Judgment report in PLD 2012 SC page-681 in Workers Party Pakistan and others vs. Federation of Pakistan and others and PLD 2014 SC page-72 has held that right of vote is fundamental right in terms of Article 17 (2) at the Constitution.
With additional input from APP and INP
