Senators unanimously call for end to ‘abuse’ for vote

ISLAMABAD: Amid reports of early tabling of the constitutional package in Parliament, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in the Senate Thursday called for putting an end to the ‘abuse’ of legislators for vote.

The matter was raised at a time when the coalition government is making efforts for mustering up the required two-thirds majority for the constitutional amendments, ensuring their smooth passage.

The issue was raised in the House by the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) after party chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal on his X account had said his party’s two senators were being mistreated to forcefully get their votes for the proposed Constitutional Amendment bill.

BNP-M Senator Naseema Ehsan was on her feet to inform the House with a choked voice that she was in a fix and added the sanctity of veil and four walls had been violated.

Awami National Party (ANP) chief Senator Aimal Wali Khan was first speaker to raise the matter while referring to the Mengal’s statement. He wondered how police had forced its way into the Parliament Lodges, the place where lawmaker reside, and confined Senator Naseema to her lodge.

PMLN Parliamentary Leader Irfan Siddiqui wanted the minister concerned to look into the matter and address the members’ reservations. However, he noted that the protest call by the PTI for today (Friday) to block the amendment was premature as the party was negotiating with JUIF chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman over the matter, urging the party not to harm the country’s interests.

JUIF Senator Kamran Murtaza said it was not solution to the problem the way two senators of Akhtar Mengal’s party were being controlled. He warned that both lawmakers belong to Balochistan, a province that is already ‘on fire’.

Murtaza said that his party would not vote for the bill if such coercive tactics continued to be used against them. “Even lawmakers of my party are being bullied and verbally abused,” he said.

He asked why Senator Naseema was being forced to resort to violence like other Baloch youth and cautioned that some five or six senators were ready to resign if the situation persisted.

PPP’s parliamentary leader Senator Sherry Rehman urged the government to protect the senators from any kind of harassment.

PTI parliamentary leader Senator Ali Zafar believed the government was unnecessarily celebrating the successful conduct of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.

“But the government cannot claim of development by suppressing cries of the people. It is the right of the parliamentarians that their family members should be protected from strong-arm of the state,” he emphasised.

He noted that only three or four senators of his party were present in the House because others fear that they or their families could be abducted to get a vote for the proposed bill.

Senate Deputy Chairman Syedaal Khan, however, ruled that Senator Naseema can either meet or him in their chambers and said that all senators, especially women lawmakers are honourable.