Politics picks up momentum ahead of Senate chairman vote

| Bilawal meets PML-Q leadership, 

PML-N’s Hamza Shehbaz | Chairman Senate, Defence Minister discuss ‘political situation’ with ANP leaders | We are government allies, Ch Shujaat, Parvez Elahi tell Bilawal | Controversy about counting in vote of confidence must be investigated: Bilawal

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD   -   President Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and former Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussian and Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Parvez Elahi on Sunday refused to support the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) candidate in the upcoming election for Senate chairman.

“We are government allies and have already ensured our support to the PTI-led government candidate Sadiq Sanjrani”, the PML-Q leadership informed Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari who called on them at their residence in Gulberg on Sunday. 

Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, along with Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, Chaudhry Manzoor, Hassan Murtaza and Qamar Zaman Kaira called on Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Parvez Elahi to muster support for the PPP candidate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani. He also inquired after Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain’s health on behalf of former president Asif Ali Zardari and conveyed his good wishes.

In a statement issued by the PML-Q Media Cell here on Sunday, the PML-Q leaders said they hail Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s visit, adding that their party was committed to support the government candidate in the upcoming Senate election.

“We stand by the Prime Minister Imran Khan led government in the Senate election as a matter of principle”, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain told Bilawal Bhutto. Chaudhry Parvez Elahi said, “We don’t back out of our promise and it is against our principles to break a solemn commitment.”

PML-Q leaders including Federal Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema, MNAs Moonis Elahi, Hussain Elahi and Chaudhry Salik Hussain were present during the meeting.

‘Bilawal, Hamza discuss in-house change in Punjab’

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Leader of the Opposition in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz Sharif had also a meeting in Lahore on Sunday as they discussed a host of issues including the upcoming election of Chairman Senate, the planned long march of the PDM and the prospects of an in-house change in Punjab.

Bilawal’s meetings with the PML-N and PML-Q leaders in Lahore were watched with great interest by political observers in the background of his recent statement that a political change should come in Punjab first before making such an attempt in the Centre.

In their media talk, both the leaders stressed that opposition parties would take on the government both in the assemblies and on the roads. “We will do politics in parliament as well as on the roads”, they said.

While Bilawal was more vocal and upbeat at the prospects of a change of guards in Punjab, Hamza was less enthusiastic about the in-house changes.

“Don’t you all want to get rid of Wasim Akram-plus? Don’t you want to see a competent chief minister in Punjab? We will get rid of Wasim Akram Plus soon”, he said while replying to a question about a possible no-confidence motion to be moved by the joint opposition against Chief Minister Usman Buzdar. He also reiterated:  “The PDM will decide when and where to move the no-confidence motion.”

Responding to a similar query, Hamza Shehbaz said: “The PDM’s goals are not limited only to no-confidence motions or the long march. Our struggle is more about setting the things right in Punjab. A lot has to be done to fix the problems created by the present government”. Hamza also mentioned the non-availability of medicines for cancer patients in Punjab, low production of sugar, cotton and other crops besides the sick economy and the high inflation.

He, however, said: “We will take important decisions from the PDM platform in the days to come”.

Elaborating further, Hamza said it was not merely an issue of numbers in the assemblies. “The real issue is the problems facing the people due to the present government. He noted that the PML-N emerged as the single largest party in Punjab after the 2018 elections, but then “MPAs were brought to Bani Gala in planes.” He said, “We, after the 2013 elections, allowed the PTI to form its government in the KPK though the opponents had the simple majority required to do the same.”

Both Bilawal and Hamza parried questions about the precise timings of the no-confidence motions to be moved against the prime minister and the Punjab chief minister. They just confined themselves to saying that all decisions will be taken with consensus on the PDM platform.   

‘Controversy must be investigated’

To question, Bilawal questioned the whole process of no-confidence vote obtained by the prime minister saying that required numbers were not present in the Assembly. He said he had learnt from some opposition legislators present in the Assembly premises at that time that some of their MNAs were also included in the final count while they even did not turn up. “It is a controversy which must be investigated”, he affirmed.

PPP chairperson expressed his optimism that PDM candidates for the offices of Chairman and Deputy Chairman Senate would be elected on the basis of joint numerical strength of the PDM parties.

Asked how the opposition alliance would ensure victory of its candidates because their Senators had defected to the government way back in 2019 at the time of no-confidence motion against Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani. Bilawal said they had learnt lessons from the past.

“If we had not learnt lessons, we would have lost the Senate election from the National Assembly”, he said referring to Yousaf Raza Gilani’s victory on a Senate seat from Islamabad.

Bilawal further stated that contacts with the Senators were being made to seek vote for Gilani Sahib and he himself was in contact with most of the senators. “I am also going to see the Chaudhry brothers today to seek votes for our candidates”, he said earlier and recalled that they had been allies of the PPP government during Yousaf Raza Gilani’s tenure as the prime minister.  

‘We committed mistakes’

Hamza said the PDM member parties had wholeheartedly accepted Gilani as their joint candidate for the office of Senate chairman.  He paid tribute to Gilani as a leader with a political struggle spreading over decades. He said Gilani’s win on the Senate seat had not only echoed in the parliament it had also sent a message of hope to the common man.

Hamza said the PML-N and PPP had learned a lot from the Charter of Democracy. “We committed mistakes but learned from them as we moved forward for 10 years setting some good traditions”, he observed.

He, however, deplored that a culture of rowdiness had taken roots in the past few years which was evident before the parliament on the other day. He was referring to the alleged manhandling of PML-N leaders by the PTI outside the parliament. He said such things were not good for democracy and Pakistan.

“These things are not good for democracy and Pakistan,” the PML-N leader said.

Sanjrani, Khattak meet Awami National Party leaders

Meanwhile, Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani and Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak visited Wali Bagh Charsadda and meet with the central leadership of Awami National Party.

They discussed the upcoming selection of Chairman and Deputy Chairman Senate and current political situation of the country.