• Fazl says solution to people’s problems lies in overthrowing govt
• Bilawal insists seven votes polled by PDM candidate rejected illegally
• Maryam congratulates Gilani on ‘defeating government candidate’
• Asfandyar rejects result as darkest day for democracy
• Khokhar says option of no-confidence vote against new chairman under consideration

ISLAMABAD: The opposition on Friday rejected the victory of Sadiq Sanjrani as new chairman of the Senate and decided to challenge his election in a court of law on Saturday (today).

The opposition claimed that the intention of voters was clear in seven votes that were rejected by the presiding officer — Senator Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah, a leader of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA).

However, the intention of voters — whose seven votes were rejected for stamping on the name of opposition’s candidate Yousuf Raza Gilani — became obvious when during the election of Senate deputy chairman, government’s candidate Mirza Mohammad Afridi secured 54 votes — seven more than the total number of government votes.

“I have consulted PDM (Pakistan Democratic Movement) leadership, including Maryam Nawaz and Maulana Fazlur Rehman, and have decided to challenge the election of Senate chairman,” Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said at a press conference after the polls.

“In this particular case, our candidate Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has received 49 votes and government candidate Sadiq Sanjrani got 48. Thus we have won the election of Senate chairman,” he said, adding that the intention of the voters [whose votes were rejected] was clear.

“These seven votes were rejected illegally and, therefore, Mr Gilani won the poll. It is an open and shut case and, therefore, we are moving the court,” he added.

The PPP chairman said the PDM senators had met the Senate secretary in the morning and he told them that voters could stamp anywhere in the column of candidate and even on his name. He said his party was striving for “neutrality” of institutions and that all institutions should work within their domains. “But unfortunately, it is not the case,” he added.

PPP Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said the opposition was also considering the option of no-confidence vote against Sadiq Sanjrani.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice president Maryam Nawaz said Yousuf Raza Gilani must be congratulated for his victory now or later. In a tweet, she said: “Congratulated Mr Gilani for defeating the government’s candidate.”

PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal alleged at a press conference that the government had stolen the election of Senate chairman as the presiding officer had intentionally rejected seven votes polled by Mr Gilani. He said Muzaffar Ali Shah was part of the government and his appointment as presiding officer was in fact a biased decision by President Dr Arif Alvi.

Interestingly, the opposition had not announced challenging the election of Senate deputy chairman in which Mirza Afridi had bagged seven votes more than the government’s actual number in the house.

In a statement, Awami National Party (ANP) president Asfandyar Wali Khan rejected the result of election for Senate chairman and termed it the darkest day for democracy in the country. “Having clear majority in the upper house, the defeat of Yousuf Raza Gilani would promote undemocratic values in the country,” he added.

He said the rejection of votes was rigging for which the opposition would raise voice. He alleged that the government had used all illegal tactics to snatch the chairmanship of the upper house of parliament form the opposition PDM. “Installation of secret cameras at the polling booth is also a condemnable act that made the whole process controversial,” he added.

The ANP chief said his party rejected the election of Sadiq Sanjrani and would chalk out a strategy in collaboration with the grand opposition.

PDM’s spokesman Mian Iftikhar Hussain said the government had bulldozed democratic values by converting majority into minority. In a statement, he said the declaration of Sadiq Sanjrani as Senate chairman was unconstitutional and the PDM would challenge his election at all forums. He said the PDM leadership would announce its strategy very soon.

Mr Hussain said the presiding officer belonged to the ruling party and he did not play an impartial role in the whole process.

PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said no good could be expected from an ‘incompetent government’, adding that solution to people’s problems lies in overthrowing the present regime.

Talking to media at a protest camp of Bittani tribes in Dera Ismail Khan on Friday, Maulana Fazl reiterated to march towards Islamabad in the month of March, adding that a meeting of the PDM leaders on March 15 would decide a future line of action in this regard.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2021