Will not allow govt to violate sanctity of secret ballot in Senate elections: Bilawal

• PPP chairman says govt will not be allowed to "violate the sanctity" of secret ballot in Senate elections
• "If the government had made a serious effort on the constitutional amendment, the Opposition would also have participated," says Bilawal
• Says it seems the government "does not trust its own members"
  

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Saturday vowed to not let the government "violate the sanctity" of the secret ballot in the Senate elections.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, the PPP chairman questioned the need to promulgate an ordinance when the matter is sub judice and a court ruling is awaited.

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The Federal Cabinet today approved a summary to promulgate an ordinance to make an amendment to the Election Act, 2017 to hold the Senate polls through an open ballot.

According to Geo News, the approval was taken from the cabinet through a circulation summary as there is not much time left for the legislation. The Election Commission of Pakistan has announced to issue the schedule for polls on February 11.

Bilawal claimed that the institutions are being made controversial so that the Senate elections can be "rigged for Imran Khan".

He further criticised the government's move to push for open ballot by saying: "It seems that they have no trust in their own party members even."

He said PM Imran Khan "is not satisfied with his numbers in the Senate".

The PPP chairman said that the government is "in a state of panic" over the Opposition's decision to contest the elections.

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The PPP chairman said that his party, along with the PML-N has always desired transparency in elections and that the government was demonstrating a complete "lack of seriousness".

"If the government had made a serious effort on the constitutional amendment, the Opposition would also have participated in the amendment," he said.

Bilawal added that an amendment can only be brought about through the parliament.

Referring to the Pakistan Democratic Movement's decision about en masse resignations from the parliament, Bilawal denied that the 11-party Opposition alliance has taken a stepped back from the move and resignations by party members have been turned in to the party heads.

He said however that the "democratic way to remove a prime minister is a no-confidence motion".