ISLAMABAD: National Party Senator Tahir Bizenjo has expressed pessimism over committees formed by two major opposition parties — the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) — to probe the no-trust vote fiasco in the Senate.

“Nothing will come out of the probe by these fact-finding committees formed by the two major political parties after the defeat of the no-trust move against Sadiq Sanjrani,” Mr Bizenjo told a press conference on Monday.

He regretted that misunderstanding had now developed between the two major opposition parties following the defeat of the no-trust move in the Senate. He said the opposition’s alliance should continue its struggle in the larger interest of the nation.

The remarks came days after differences between the PML-N and PPP over the defeat in the no-trust move became public, with the two parties holding each other responsible for the debacle.

Tahir Bizenjo regrets that misunderstanding has cropped up between PML-N and PPP

Mr Bizenjo was of the view that Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani should have morally resigned after 64 senators rose in their seats to vote on the motion seeking leave to move the no-trust resolution against him.

“The question is how 64 votes could not translate into the secret ballot on the resolution and the number got reduced to 50? Horse-trading had definitely taken place in the Senate. It is for sure that our colleagues in the Senate blackened their faces,” he regretted.

When asked to comment on the remarks made against the ISI by Mir Hasil Bizenjo following the opposition’s defeat in the no-trust motion, he said that a Gujranwala court had summoned Mr Bizenjo on Aug 8 and he would explain his remarks before the court himself.

The court summoned Mr Bizenjo on a petition filed by Advocate Manzoor Qadir Bhinder for alleging that ISI chief Lt General Faiz Hameed’s men were behind the opposition’s defeat in the no-trust vote against Mr Sanjrani.

Tahir Bizenjo regretted that federal ministers were using ‘‘indecent and immoral’’ language against Mir Hasil Bizenjo. He said that Mr Bizenjo was expected to face state oppression like his father the late Mir Ghous Bux Bizenjo had faced in the past.

He said the PTI government had failed on all fronts and every sector was facing crisis, but instead of improving governance, it was busy in witch-hunting of the opposition leaders.

Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2019