Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Saturday vowed to not let the government “violate the sanctity” of the secret ballot in the Senate elections, questioning the need to promulgate an ordinance when the matter is sub judice and a court ruling is awaited.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, the PPP chairman opined that the government’s interest behind establishing a new ballot system was based on mistrust on its party members. “Imran Khan is not satisfied with his numbers in the Senate”.
He alleged that the Senate elections were being “rigged for Imran Khan” as the government was “in a state of panic” over the Opposition’s decision to contest the elections.
“If the government had made a serious effort on the constitutional amendment, the Opposition would also have participated in the amendment,” he said.
Bilawal added that an amendment can only be brought about through the parliament.
Referring to the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s decision about en masse resignations from the parliament, Bilawal denied that the alliance has taken a step back, adding that party members who wanted to resign have been turned into party heads.
“However, the “democratic way to remove a prime minister is a no-confidence motion”,” he said.
Earlier in the day, the federal cabinet had approved a summary to promulgate an ordinance to make an amendment to the Election Act, 2017 for holding the Senate polls through an open ballot.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced to issue the schedule for polls on February 11.
Earlier last week, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was making all-out efforts, including amendments to three articles of the Constitution, to ensure transparency in the upcoming Senate elections as it fully believed in a fair electoral process.
Legal experts, however, oppose the proposed amendments, saying that secret ballot is the spirit of democracy and the proposed system would further complicate the electoral system.
A presidential reference is pending in the Supreme Court to seek the apex court’s opinion on the matter.
