ISLAMABAD (APP) – Leader of the House in Senate Raja Muhammad Zafarul Haq on Tuesday hinted that Parliament may amend Article 226 of the Constitution to curb horse-trading in the Senate elections, due on March 5.
According to Haq, a day-long proceeding of both Senate and National Assembly was enough to okay the amendment and get the green signal from the president.
President Mamnoon has already summoned sessions of Senate and National Assembly on February 27 and March 4, respectively.
Haq said under the Constitution, all elections, other than that of prime minister and provincial chief ministers, were held through secret ballot. “We just need insertion of the Senate in the article to adopt the ‘show of hand’ method in the election.”
He also called for discouraging the practice of using excessive money and any kind of influence for elections at any level.
Meanhwile, former president Asif Ali Zardari said electoral rigging and horse trading needed to be addressed in a holistic manner instead of looking for piecemeal solutions.
