ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that the government will respect whatsoever decision the Supreme Court of Pakistan takes with regard to holding of the Senate election.

In a statement on Tuesday, Qureshi, who is also vice chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), said that the government will respect and also follow the guidance to be given by the Supreme Court of Pakistan with regard to the Senate election.

In the statement, the foreign minister said that we have filed a petition in the court in this regard because we had two options, either to seek guidance or make amendment in the constitution for which we have no two-thirds majority in the parliament.

A five-member larger bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmed, is hearing the reference filed by President Dr Arif Alvi under the Article 186 of the Constitution, seeking its opinion on holding the Senate election through open ballot and show of hands.

Qureshi added that the opposition parties had been demanding for open voting for the Senate election in the past but now they are opposing it for political point scoring.

He said that the government has invited the opposition to dialogue and has provided a chance to them which they had already committed under the “Charter of Democracy”, adding that they got no positive response from the opposition in this regard.

About the role of the army, the foreign minister said that armed forces are protecting the borders and the motherland, adding that the politicians should not politicise the role of the armed forces.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021