Senate chairman’s election: Political manoeuvring at its peak

CHARSADDA/LAHORE: Hectic political maneuvering is on with both the government and the united opposition engaged in a whirlwind of meetings to garner the support of political parties for election of their respective candidates as the Senate chairman and deputy chairman.

A government-sponsored delegation on Sunday met Awami National Party (ANP) leadership at Wali Bagh to seek their support for the upcoming election of chairman Senate. The delegation, comprising the Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani and Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak, met ANP leaders Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, Mian Iftikhar Hussain and Aimal Wali Khan.

The ANP’s newly-elected Senator Arbab Umar Farooq, Hidayatullah Khan and Engineer Zmarak Khan were also present on the occasion. Inside sources said the delegation sought ANP’s support in the election for the Senate chairman.

The meeting was held in a friendly environment and the two sides expressed their resolve to strengthen democracy and working for the welfare of the people. The ANP leadership told the delegation that their party believed in the supremacy of democracy and parliament and their party was ready for cooperation with all the democratic forces for continuity and strengthening of democracy.

ANP President Asfandyar Wali Khan could not meet the delegation owing to his illness. The delegation inquired after him from the party leaders. It may be mentioned that the PTI-led coalition government has already nominated Sadiq Sanjrani for the Senate chairman.

Political pundits view the meeting meaningful at a time when ANP candidates Arbab Umar Farooq and Hidayatullah Khan have been elected as senators from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, respectively in the recent election.

The ANP is also a coalition partner of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) in Balochistan and it has two ministers and an advisor to the chief minister. Sadiq Sanjrani also hails from Balochistan and his party BAP heads the provincial government.

Meanwhile, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Sunday visited the residence of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Ch Pervaiz Elahi in Lahore, said a statement released from the office of Pakistan Muslim League-Q.

Federal minister Tariq Bashir Cheema, Moonis Elahi, Salik Hussain, Hussain Elahi and PPP leaders Qamar Zaman Kaira, Syed Hassan Murtaza and Jamil Soomro were present on the occasion.

Bilawal inquired after Ch Shujaat Hussain. The country’s political situation also came under discussion.

Meanwhile, PML-Q leader and federal minister Tariq Bashir Cheema Sunday said PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s visit to the residence of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Ch Pervaiz Elahi to seek their support for election of Yusuf Raza Gilani as the Senate Chairman was no strange thing, as it was natural that political parties approached other parties for votes on such occasions.

Speaking in “Naya Pakistan” programme of Geo News, Cheema said Bilawal had also come to inquire after Ch Shujaat Hussain. He said Shujaat had declined to support the candidature of Yusuf Raza Gilani and told Bilawal that his party will vote for the government candidate and the current Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani.

He said during the meeting Bilawal Bhutto did not talk about removing the PTI government in the Punjab. Cheema said PML-N and PPP did them a huge favour by getting the candidates elected unopposed in the Punjab in the recent Senate elections.

He said PML-Q was not yet clear about the matters with regard to the Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar. “We do not know whether things are going to change in the Punjab nor has anybody told us in this regard. We stand with the government and it would be our endeavor that our alliance with the government stood intact.” Cheema said personally he was not satisfied with the performance of the government, as price hike was getting out of control.