Article 63 not applicable to presidential polls: Justice Wajihuddin

Parliamentarians to vote through secret ballot, says PTI's Presidential candidate.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf presidential candidate Justice (retd) Wajihuddin Ahmed claimed on Saturday that Article 63 did not apply to the presidential election, Radio Pakistan reported.

Speaking at a press conference, he said that parliamentarians will vote for their candidates through a secret ballot. "If the Election Commission of Pakistan can ensure secrecy of ballot, especially since now there is one-on-one competition, where every one knows who is who and what is their past, anything can happen."

Justice Wajihuddin added that he had no issue with the Pakistan Peoples Party boycotting the presidential elections. "We do not have any objection over that [boycott], it was their right. But the question is why did they do it?"

He claimed that he could even win the elections.

His statements come a day after the Election Commission of Pakistan assured the Lahore High Court (LHC) that Article 63 would be implemented in full for the presidential elections 2013.

On that occasion, the LHC was hearing a petition moved by Advocate Azhar Siddique, who sought to stay the presidential elections on the basis that certain terms of disqualification from the Parliament which were included in the Article 63, had been amended by the ECP through a notification on 10 Sep 2007, thus making certain disqualification clauses for the seat of the President ineffective. The petitioner said that the amendment had made it possible for the then Chief of Staff General Pervez Musharraf to qualify as President while holding the office of Chief of Staff as well.

However, the LHC disposed of the petition after ECP's counsel Naeem Ghumman assured the court that Article 63 would be implemented in full.