ISLAMABAD: There is no need to change the existing system of election for the Senate, the Senate Committee of the Whole has said after concluding its meetings.

The committee tasked to discuss the mode of election for senators finalised its recommendations on Thursday. It said any amendment to convert indirect elections into direct elections would be against the basic structure of the Constitution. It will present a report to the upper house of parliament on Friday.

The committee has finalised 10 recommendations. The idea of having direct elections for senators has been turned down as it is against the basic structure of the Constitution.

Three recommendations were adopted on Thursday, including two by Senator Mohsin Leghari, who suggested that a person contesting for a Senate seat from any province should be the national identity card`s holder of that province or its resident for the past five years.

He also suggested that the voting criteria for people contesting from Islamabad should be clarified and that the term`resident` of Islamabad needed a clear definition.

The third recommendation adopted on Thursday was by Senator Daud Khan Achakzai, who said only an independent MPA of the relevant province or an independent MNA in case of Islamabad can recommend the name of an independent senator.

The recommendations finalised by the committee said that the existing mode of election for the Senate that is indirect elections adheres to the intention of legislature to create the second chamber for providing adequate representation to federating units.

It said the existing system needed reformation in order to make it transparent.

The name of an MNA/MPA voting in the Senate elections should be printed on the ballot paper.

The recommendations have also addressed the issue of the `voting against the party lines`by any MPA or MNA as it has been stated that the elections will be held through secret ballot.

However, a proviso might be added to Article 226 of the Constitution, according to which, after declaration of election results parliamentary leaders of political parties could request the competentauthority to show them the ballot papers bearing the names of their party members in order to ensure that they had voted in accordance with the party line.

The report finalised by the committee said: `This will largely curb the tendency of floor crossing/voting in favour of a candidate against the party line by taking financial benefits` The recommendations also said that Article 63 (A) of the Constitution might be amended to provide that voting or abstaining from voting in the House contrary to any direction issued by the parliamentary party to which a parliamentarian belongs in relations to Senate elections would be a ground for defection.

It has been suggested that the existing presidential order regarding election of members belonging to Fata may be reviewed in order to provide a permanent mechanism for the Senate elections in line with the constitutional scheme of federalism and to make it transparent.

During two meetings of the committee, 37 senators made speeches.

It has been decided that the issue related to the powers of the Senate would be discussed at a different forum.