ISLAMABAD: Political temperature in the federal capital was on the rise Sunday ahead of elections for the seat of chairman and deputy chairman of the Senate. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) are strategising to solidify control of the Senate, with both looking to woo other political parties in order to get their favoured candidates into the two seats of power.
PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari gathered leaders of his party to discuss the matter of Senate polls for the seat of chairman and deputy chairman today. He also called a meeting of all coalition partners on Monday to decide the candidates for Senate chairman and deputy chairman.
Sources have also revealed that the PPP is interested in offering these posts to coalition partners.
Leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Balochistan National Party-Awami and PML-Q are expected to attend the above mentioned meeting on Monday evening at Zardari House in Islamabad.
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PPP spokesperson Farhatullah Babar told Dawn that the agenda of the meeting is discussing prospects and formulating a strategy for fielding consensus candidates for the Senate offices.
Leaders of Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s faction of JUI also held a meeting ahead of Monday’s consultation to decide their future stance with respect to the Senate chairmanship polls.
JUI-F has currently received requests for support in the Senate polls by both the PPP and PML-N, making the party's vote a crucial one.
Read more: PML-N, PPP offer Senate post to allies
On the PML-N front, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to arrive in Islamabad to carry out consultations over the matter. Meanwhile, Federal Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique is carrying out negotiations with other political parties to draw support for PML-N candidates.
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Earlier, PPP Punjab chapter president Manzoor Wattoo had said, "The chairman and deputy chairman of the Senate will be from the Pakistan People’s Party."
He said the PPP had emerged as the single largest party in the Senate and with the support of ANP, MQM, PML-Q, JUI-F, Fata and independent senators it would be in a position to get its candidate elected for the two top slots of the upper house.
He criticised the promulgation of the Presidential Ordinance in the middle of the night that deprived Fata members of Senate elections. “It was an insult to the members and people of the Fata and they will never support the government as a reaction to the political drone attack.”
Meanwhile, PTI Chairman Imran Khan had claimed that his party members were offered millions of rupees which they refused.
Imran said, “We will not vote for either PML-N or PPP in the coming vote for Senate chairmanship as both these parties are corrupt. They have made politics a business enterprise.”
