QUETTA: JUI-F Secretary General and Senator-elect Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri has said that an independent candidate’s election as senator has proved that horse trading took place in the Senate election.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday, he said that political parties had been making tall claims about stopping horse trading, but they had failed to do so.

“Election of an independent candidate as a member of Senate from Balochistan confirms that these parties did nothing to stop horse trading,” the JUI-F leader said.

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He suggested that Senate members should be elected through a proportional representation system or direct elections. He said that through these two systems, political parties could get rid of the sale and purchase of votes in Senate elections.

The JUI-F leader claimed that members his party cast votes in favour of his party’s candidates in the election.

“JUI-F members have never been involved in the horse trading and sale and purchase of votes in Senate elections,” he claimed.

Maulana Haideri, who himself was elected Senator second time, said that JUI-F had become a very important party after the PML-N and PPP in Senate.

“Our party’s role will be crucial in election of chairman and deputy chairman, he said, adding that “our votes will be decisive”.

The JUI-F leader said that horse trading was also witnessed in Khyber Pakhtoonkhawa where the PTI and Jamat-i-Islami used these tactics which led to suspension of polling in the assembly.

Published in Dawn March 7th , 2015

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