The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Monday announced its opinion regarding the upcoming Senate election, saying that the elections will be held through secret ballot under Article 226 of the Constitution.

A five-member larger bench of the SC, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Mushir Alam, Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan and Justice Yahya Afridi , announced the verdict with a 4-1 majority.

Moreover, Justice Afridi disagreed with the majority opinion.

In its decision, the apex court stated that the Election Commission of Pakistan is empowered to take all the steps to ensure transparency in the polls.

“It is up to the ECP to decide to which extent the voting should remain secret,” the top court remarked.

However, the apex court further added that the secrecy of the ballot paper, was not absolute.

The SC also said that the ECP could “use the latest technology to ensure the holding of transparent elections” while exercising the powers granted to it under Article 218 of the Constitution.