ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: As part of measures to discourage horse trading and ensure transparency in the upcoming Senate elections, the federal government has constituted two committees.
The committees would contact various political parties to pave way for a constitutional amendment so that Senate elections can be held through show of hands rather than through secret ballot.
A three-member committee headed by the Minister of State Anusha Rehman and including Pervaiz Rasheed and Khawaja Saad Rafique while another committee comprising Ahsan Iqbal, Mehtab Abbasi, and Barrister Zafrullah were formed.
The decision to form committees was taken at a federal cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad on Monday.
The cabinet meeting was held to discuss various proposals to stop horse trading in the upcoming Senate elections.
The prime minister said that he himself has been making efforts since 1985 to stop illegal practices in the electoral system to ensure merit and transparency.
The Senate elections are scheduled to be held on March 5 during which 52 new lawmakers will be elected for the 104-member upper house of the parliament.
