PPP, PML-N decide to become party to presidential reference

Two major political parties — the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) — have decided to become party in the presidential reference case being heard by a larger bench of the Supreme Court.

A senior PML-N lawyer told The Express Tribune that both the parties would move applications for becoming party in the presidential reference case.

Through the reference, the federal government has sought the court’s opinion on whether 'open ballot' for Senate elections would help acknowledge the respect for the choice and desire of the citizen voters.

The federal government wants the upcoming Senate elections to be held on the basis of open ballot under the Election Act 2017.

For this purpose, the federal government has already promulgated an ordinance. However, the ordinance is subject to the outcome of the Supreme Court judgment in the presidential reference case.

It is learnt that both the major political parties have decided to become party in the case.

“There was difference of opinion within the party over the question of becoming party in the case,” a senior PML-N leader confided to The Express Tribune.

He said that a number of party leaders were opposed to becoming a party in the case in view of the composition of the larger bench.

The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), Jamaat-e-Islami, while submitting their statements in the court, opposed the presidential reference.

Likewise, Senator Raza Rabbani, in his submission, also opposed the government’s plan to hold the Senate elections through open ballot without amending the Constitution.

On the other hand, sources say, “The government is taking calculated moves under a planned strategy to thwart horse-trading in the upcoming elections to the upper house of parliament at all costs.”

They said that the government has information that a few individuals are active buying vote for Senate elections.

They said Prime Minister Imran Khan believes that irrespective of the outcome of the presidential reference, the party should keep pressure on its lawmakers as well as on the opposition leadership so that there could no bargaining chip during the vote.

It is against this backdrop that the prime minister had instructed Attorney General for Pakistan Khalid Jawed Khan to file the presidential reference.

Side-by-side, the government had moved a bill to amend the V-Constitution in parliament.

Thirdly, the government had promulgated an ordinance and lastly, a video was leaked to the media on Tuesday, showing a few lawmakers receiving money in the 2018 Senate elections.