Sanjrani promised to join PPP in 2018: Bilawal

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People's Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday revealed why the PPP supported Sadiq Sanjrani as chairman Senate in 2018, saying that he promised to join the PPP following his election as the chairman Senate but he did not keep his promise.

Addressing a dinner hosted by Senator Islamuddin Sheikh at his residence in Islamabad, Bilawal said an old video of Sadiq Sanjrani is allegedly circulating on social media. "No one knows why we voted for Sadiq Sanjrani as Senate chairman. At that time, some of our colleagues from Punjab thought that we cannot be partner in politics with the PML-N and the independent senator, Sadiq Sanjrani, came to my house at that time and asked me to help get him elected as chairman Senate,” he said.

“Sadiq Sanjrani was ready to take oath on Quran in front of me to join the PPP but I forbade him from taking oath on Quran and told him that his words are trusted, on the basis of which he got the PPP’s support in the Senate, but he did not keep his promise,” he said, adding that the government spokespersons are constantly trying to drag institutions into politics by declaring Sanjrani as the state's candidate.

“The PDM will oppose the puppet government in the Senate today,” he said. “If a PDM panel is elected in the Senate, Yusuf Raza Gilani and Abdul Ghafoor Haideri will take care of the senators of opposition political parties,” the PPP chairman said.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said it has been decided that under no circumstances will the chairman and deputy chairman of the Senate be from PTI. PPP Central President for Women’s Wing and Member Sindh Assembly Faryal Talpur also attended the dinner. Raja Pervez Ashraf, Farhatullah Babar, Naveed Qamar, Faisal Karim Kundi, Abdul Qadir Patel, Saad Rafique, Latif Khosa, Amjad Afridi, Noman Sheikh and Arsalan Sheikh were among the participants. Pakistan Democratic Movement candidates Yusuf Raza Gilani and Abdul Ghafoor Haideri also attended the dinner.