EXPLANATIONS OF CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
28. Our conclusions and recommendations on all points except with regard to the method of election to the office of President and some of the matters incidental thereto are unanimous. We are all in favor of universal adult franchise, but one of us, Mr. Hassan Ali, is of the view that the voters’ age-limit should be raised to 25, because, in his opinion, a person does not attain the requisite sense of responsibility and full maturity of understanding before attaining that age. He is also of the opinion that the age of a voter should not be less than that of a member of an electoral college whose minimum qualifying age is 25 under Article 158(1) of the Constitution.
We are also unanimous that election of members of the National and Provincial Assemblies should be direct and on the basis of universal adult franchise, but two of us, while arriving at the same conclusion, have in their separate note, approached the question from a different angle.
As regards the method of Presidential election, we regret that we have not been able to reach a unanimous conclusion. In the opinion of three of us, while direct election to the office of President is the more appropriate method, the next Presidential election alone may be held indirectly through an electoral college for reasons given in paragraphs 11 to 13 and 15. The remaining two hold the view that indirect election of the President through an electoral college is the appropriate method in the Presidential form of government for reasons given by them in their separate note. However, there has been unanimity as regards some of the matters incidental to the indirect method of Presidential election. The incidental matters on which there has been unanimity are stated in items (viii), (ix), (x), (xii), (xiii), (xiv) and (xvi) of paragraph 27 of the Report. As regards the incidental matters relating to restriction of the number of Presidential candidates dealt with in paragraph 19 and summarized in item (xi) of paragraph 27, all of us, except the Chairman, are agreed. The Chairman has given his reasons for dissent in a separate note. We are also unanimous with regard to the election of women to the National Assembly from reserved seats and the necessity for according special treatment to Tribal Areas of
