The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has decided that the Senate elections on March 3 will be held as per past practice, as time constraints do not allow for modifications to the process. It decided this in a meeting held at ECP Sectretariat yesterday to deliberate on the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan’s order to conduct Senate elections through secret ballot as per the Constitution of Pakistan.
The ECP shared its statement in the form of minutes of the meeting.
“The commission deliberated on the order/opinion of the Supreme Court passed today in Presidential Reference No. 1/2020 and decided to implement it in letter and spirit,” the statement read.
The Commission noted that the SC’s short order mentioned that the Election Commission is required to utilise the technologies and to develop a mechanism for the fulfilment of its constitutional duty, in terms of Article 218(3) of the Constitution, to prevent corrupt practices and ensure transparency.
For this purpose, the ECP constituted a committee comprising the Special Secretary as Convenor, Director General (IT), and Saeed Gul, JPEC, Punjab.
“The Committee shall prepare recommendations regarding the use of technology in Senate election within a period of four weeks,” said the ECP. “The committee may also take assistance from NADRA, FIA, and the Ministry of IT, and any person from these organisations may step into it or co-opt it for giving better recommendations.”
The ECP noted that it had not received a detailed order from the Supreme Court yet.
The Senate elections on March 3, 2021, will be held as provided in the law and constitution as per past practice, the Commission concluded.
