AGP Khalid Jawed Khan tests positive for Covid-19

Attorney general tests positive a day before SC is to announce opinion on Senate polls presidential reference

KARACHI:

Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Jawed Khan tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Sunday.

The AGP tested positive a day before the apex court is scheduled to announce its opinion regarding presidential reference to hold Senate elections on open ballot without a constitutional amendment.

PHOTO: EXPRESS

The Supreme court (SC) on Thursday concluded its proceedings on presidential reference seeking legal opinion to hold Senate elections on open ballot without a constitutional amendment and reserved its decision in the case.

The attorney general said the deep state always believes in secrecy and not transparency. Hearing the case earlier this week, the CJP had remarked that it was up to the parliament to decide whether balloting in the Senate should be open or secret.

Also read: Political jockeying intensifies ahead of Senate polls

"We will only respond to the questions that have been asked in regards to the reference; the court only has to determine whether Article 226 of the Constitution applies to the Senate elections," Justice Gulzar had said.

He had stressed that every institution of the state has to perform its work while remaining under its ambit; the Supreme Court wasn't an alternative for the parliament.

The federal government through Attorney General for Pakistan Khalid Jawed Khan filed the presidential reference under Article 186 of the Constitution, seeking opinion of the apex court as to whether the Senate elections are held under the Constitution (Article 226) or under the law (Election Act 2017). The government had contended that the Senate elections are held under the law and therefore there was no need to amend Article 226 of the Constitution. In view of its contention, the government has already promulgated an ordinance, allowing open ballot in the Senate elections.

Coronavirus

On Saturday, Pakistan reported another 1,176 cases of coronavirus, taking the tally for confirmed cases so far recorded in the country to 579,973.

About 23 more deaths were reported. At least 12,860 people have succumbed to the virus in the country as of now.

As many as 545,277 have recovered with another 871 recoveries seen in the last 24 hours.