ISLAMABAD, Feb 7 (DNA) : Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan Sunday said the incumbent government intended to conduct the upcoming Senate elections through open voting to discourage the horse trading practice.

It was topmost priority of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government to carry out the Senate polls through open balloting to ensure more transparency in it, he said talking to a private news channel.

The minister said the open voting was so essential in public and national interest.

He said it was also mentioned in the Charter of Democracy (CoD), which was signed by former prime ministers Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, to conduct the Senate elections through open voting, but now their leaders were denying and doing politics on the issue.

Replying to a question, he said the government would not create hindrance in a way of the opposition’s long march.

He claimed the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leadership would fail to gather their workers and supporter for march as the people had already rejected them.