March 3 Senate polls will be held as per past practice: ECP

• Election Commission of Pakistan says March 3 Senate polls will be conducted as per past practice due to time constraint.
• ECP has made a three-member committee to prepare recommendations.
• The SC, in its opinion, said that the Senate polls can not be held through an open ballot, but secrecy is not absolute.

ISLAMABAD: Voting during the March 3 Senate polls will be held as “per past practice”, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said on Tuesday.

The ECP issued a statement sharing minutes of its meeting that took place after the Supreme Court’s opinion on the presidential reference seeking the Senate polls through an open ballot.

An ECP meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja was held Tuesday. It was attended by ECP members Justice (retd) Altaf Ibrahim Qureshi, Justice (retd) lrshad Qasir, Shah Muhammad Jatoi and Nisar Ahmed Durrani.

Read more: Govt ready to offer ECP 'technological support' for Senate elections after SC verdict

The ECP decided that due to a time constraint, the Senate election scheduled for March 3 will be conducted as provided in the Constitution and Law as per past practice.

“The commission deliberated on the order/opinion of the Supreme Court passed today in Presidential Reference No. 1/2020 and decided to implement it in letter and spirit,” ECP's statement read.

It added that the commission is taking all possible steps and measures to fulfil its constitutional duty to check that corrupt practices in the Senate Elections are guarded against.

The ECP said it has so far not received the detailed order/opinion of the SC. 

Read more: Senate polls to be held through secret ballot, but secrecy not absolute: Supreme Court

It said that the SC has held that the election to the Senate of Pakistan is under the Constitution and the law which is through a secret ballot. 

“The Supreme Court in short order mentioned that the Election Commission is required to utilize the technologies and to develop a mechanism for the fulfilment of its constitutional duty in terms of Article 218(3) of the Constitution.”

ECP decided to constitute a three-member committee to take input from different professional/technical organisations and prepare recommendations regarding the use of technology in the Senate election within a period of four weeks.

The committee may also take assistance from NADRA, FIA and the  Ministry of IT.