Secret Ballot: Pleas against reserved seats dismissed

LAHORE: Lahore High Court on Friday dismissed several identical petitions challenging reserved seats for minorities, women, youth and peasants in the local government elections. The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and the Pakistan Awami Party among others had filed the petitions. Their counsel had said that secret ballot was important for all elections under Article 140 of the Constitution. They contended that the provincial government had passed a new law on local government elections and had restricted direct election of minorities, youth, women and peasants which was against the Constitution. However, law officers on behalf of the government, opposed the arguments saying that the petitions were not maintainable.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 31^st, 2015.