KARACHI: The decision to introduce a column in the ballot paper that will give the voter an option to express rejection of all candidates in his constituency is a welcome step, the Awami Workers Party said on Tuesday.

The “NOTA” column (none of the above) will not impose any restrictions on a candidate or affect his party, the party contended. It recalled that representatives of all major parties were present in the Supreme Court during a hearing on the matter, but none of them raised any objections.

Yousuf Mastikhan, Akhtar Hussain and Usman Baloch, all senior leaders of the AWP, said retrogressive elements were opposing an “initiative which will strgthen the people’s belief in democracy”.