Manend Team 
ISLAMABAD, (MANEND NEWS): The Election Commission of Pakistan
(ECP) on Tuesday decided to conduct the Senate elections scheduled
to be held today (Wednesday), through secret ballot due to time
constrain.
While announcing its decision after considering various proposals, the
Election Commission of Pakistan has clarified that the polls will be held
‘as provided in the Constitution and Law as per past practice’.
According to an official notification, a meeting was held under the
chairmanship of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Dr. Sikandar
Sultan Raja which was also attended by ECP members Justice (retd)
Altaf Ibrahim Qureshi, Justice (retd) Mrs Irshad Qasir, Shah
Muhammad Jatoi and Nisar Ahmed Durrani.
The commission is taking all the possible steps and measures to fulfill
its constitutional duty to check that corrupt practices in the Senate
polls are guarded against, it stated.
In the light of Supreme Court’s (SC) opinion on presidential reference
regarding the polls in the upper house of the Parliament, the ECP is of
the view that input may be taken from different professional and
technical organizations which may help to conclude upon it. The
commission had decided to constitute a committee in this regard which
will prepare recommendations regarding use of technology within a
period of four weeks, the notification further read.
“The Honourable Supreme Court, in the short order, mentioned that
the Election Commission is required to utilise the technologies and to
develop a mechanism for the fulfillment of its constitutional duty in
terms of Article 218(3) of the Constitution,” it further added.
“The Commission is of the view that input may be taken from different
professional/technical organisations which may help to conclude upon
it. The Commission decided to constitute a Committee in this regard
comprising of Special Secretary as Convenor, Director General (IT),
Member and Saeed Gul, JPEC, Punjab, Member,” the document
maintained.
The ECP said that the Committee shall prepare recommendations
regarding the use of technology in Senate election within a period of
four weeks.
“The Committee may also take assistance from NADRA. FIA. Ministry
of IT and any person from these organisations may step into it or co-
opt it for giving better recommendations,” it added.
