Federal Information Shibli Faraz said on Saturday that Prime Minister Imran Khan was determined to put an end to vote-for-sale culture.

“Opposition’s stance against open balloting in Senate election was illogical and beyond comprehension,” the minister told the media after submitting his nomination papers for the Senate vote at the Election Commission.

The government was devising a strategy to ensure fair election as transparency strengthen democracy. Senator Shibli Faraz said instead of supporting the government’s efforts to introduce electoral reforms, the opposition was creating hurdle by opposing open balloting in senate election, which tantamount to encourage horse-trading and corruption during the election process.

He said opposition parties including PPP and PML-N who ruled the country after 2008 and 2013 elections for 10 years had completely failed to prepare any mechanism for electoral reforms opening room for horse-trading, corruption and sale and purchase votes during Senate elections.

The minister said the opposition was still working against electoral reforms that were aimed to eliminate chances of corruption, sale and purchase of votes and horse-trading in Senate elections as being witnessed in the past.

Despite having power, influence and resources, he said the government had offered open balloting to the opposition during senate polls to eliminate corruption and horse-trading but the response of opposition towards the key legislation was pathetic.