Opposition to take up IPU defeat in NA

ISLAMABAD: The united opposition in the Parliament will take up the question of country’s defeat in the presidential polls of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in National Assembly that is commencing its session in third week of this month.

Pakistan’s candidate chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani who contested the elections on behalf of Pakistan secured lowest votes in four-candidate competition held early this month. Well-placed parliamentary sources said that the opposition terming the humiliating defeat as failure of the Foreign Office. Interestingly, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi not only wrote a letter to his counterparts of the member states, but he also spoke to the few.

The Foreign Office projected his sure victory and it asked country’s missions across the world to work for the victory of Sanjrani. The sources revealed that Pakistan’s traditional allies/friendly countries opted not to vote for Pakistan that became reason for the humiliation. Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani and Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaisar personally took part in the electioneering and established contact with the members of the IPU. The opposition in National Assembly is submitting a joint adjournment motion for discussion on the subject that has become source of embarrassment for the country.

The leaders of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), PPP, JUI and other groups will jointly ink the motion for detailed discussion in house. Portugal won the elections for the post with 222 votes. The new IPU president Duarte Pacheco was elected with 56 per cent of the vote in a single round voting.

India was among the countries that supported the winner. Candidates from four countries were in the fray for elections — Portugal's Duarte Pacheco, Pakistan's Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani, Uzbekistan's Akmal Saidov and Canada's Pakistani origin Salma Ataullahjan. All losing three candidates were Muslim while the winning was Christian. Uzbekistan got 67 votes, Canada 53 and Pakistan candidate got the lowest number of votes at 52. The term of the new IPU president will be from 2020-2023. The previous IPU president was Mexican MP Gabriela Cuevas Barron who completed the term in October. Duarte Pacheco, MP from Portugal, is member of his country’s Parliament. In a unique example of digital democracy, the election was 100% virtual despite technological and time zone challenges. Some 400 parliamentarians from over 140 IPU Member Parliaments vote electronically during a 24-hour window. Over 40 per cent of voting members were women MPs and 27 per cent were under 45, both records for the IPU. A total of 394 votes were cast in the election and the candidate from Portugal won with a commanding lead of 222 votes, more than the absolute majority of 198 votes. Uzbek candidate received 67 votes, the Canadian candidate 53 votes and the Pakistani candidate 52 votes.

The IPU is “focal point for worldwide parliamentary dialogue” and works “for peace and co-operation among peoples for the firm establishment of representative institutions”. The organization was established in 1889 as the Inter-Parliamentary Congress. As of 2020, the national parliaments of 179 countries are members of the IPU, while 13 regional parliamentary assemblies are associate members. The IPU has played a leading role in the development of international law and institutions, including the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the League of Nations, and the United Nations. Between the WWI and WWII, the IPU played very important role towards peaceful settlement of international disputes, the reduction of armaments and international security. It has also contributed immensely towards codification and development of international law, the promotion and improvement of the representative system, the protection of national minorities, colonial problems, economic questions, social and humanitarian policy, and intellectual relations.