Govt, opposition claim victory over SC ruling

Several ministers and both PML-N and PPP praised the ruling in their separate statements and media talks

ISLAMABAD/ LAHORE ':

The government as well as the opposition on Monday both claimed victory following the Supreme Court’s opinion on the presidential reference regarding the voting method for the Senate elections.

Several government ministers, including Information Minister Shibli Faraz, and both the major opposition parties -- the Pakistan and Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) -- praised the ruling in their separate statements and media talks.

Talking to the media outside the Supreme Court after the announcement of the ruling, Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Faisal Javed said that the court’s opinion was “a splendid decision and a victory for Pakistan”.

He said that the attorney general and his team worked hard and great arguments were given and such a detailed discussion on the ballot for Senate has not happened before. “The court has declared that secrecy of the Senate election vote is not absolute...,” he added.

Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood, Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Parliamentary Affairs Dr Babar Awan, and Special Assistant Shehbaz Gill also termed the apex court opinion historic.

However, they highlighted the Supreme Court directions to the ECP regarding steps to ensure transparency in the election of the upper house of parliament. “The decision supports our stance and moves it forward,” said Shafqat Mahmood.

“The paragraph 3, 5 and 6 are very important where the court has highlighted the PTI’s stance,” Babar Awan told reporters. He added that the court had asked the ECP to decide the matter regarding secrecy of votes by keeping in view the ground realities.

Awan said that it was a decisive moment for holding of transparent election and all segments, including the ECP, political parties and individual voters, were bound to follow transparency in the election procedure. “A decisive movement has come in the Senate election issue.”

Fawad Chaudhry said that the government had expressed full confidence in the ECP. “We have expressed full confidence in the ECP, considering the fact that if the institutions will be strengthened, the country will become strong”, he stated.

“Secrecy of ballot , as per the Supreme Court’s decision, will be kept for the political parties but not for the ECP which would empower ECP to conduct inquiry if there will be any allegation of horse trading raised by any member”, he explained. “The final decision would be of ECP.”

And addressing the media in Peshawar, Information Minister Senator Shibli Faraz termed the apex court’s opinion “historic” and said that now the ECP was responsible for taking all the necessary measures to ensure transparency in the upcoming election.

Faraz said that the Senate was a highly respectable institution and it was necessary for upholding its sanctity by electing honest, upright and competent candidates, who could serve the masses irrespective of their personal interests. “The PTI believes in strengthening of national institutions.”

Interior Sheikh Rashid Minister told a private TV channel that the government fully respected the Supreme Court’s decision and remained committed to ensuring free, fair and transparent elections.  He added that the ECP was fully empowered to take all necessary steps to discourage horse trading.

Constitution reigns supreme

From the opposition parties, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz was among the first to offer comment on the apex court’s opinion, emphasising in a tweet that Constitution reigned supreme above all other laws and ordinances.

“It is proved once again that the Constitution is far greater than the references and ordinances based on the deceit and malicious intent of the vote thieves,” Maryam tweeted. “Remember, now no RTS or Daska fog technology will work,” she added. “Why be scared of the power of the vote”.

Separately, the PPP welcomed the Supreme Court opinion, describing it as “triumph of law, justice and Constitutionalism”. PPP Secretary General Farhatullah Babar also said that the ruling was a vindication of the position taken by the PPP on the issue.

Sindh government’s spokesperson Barrister Murtaza Wahab also said that the Supreme Court opinion agreed with the “principled stance of the PPP, the Sindh government, different opposition parties and Pakistan’s various lawyer organisations”.

 

(With input from APP)