PPP’s Nisar Khuhro wins Senate by-poll

KARACHI: Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, the candidate of Pakistan People’s Party, won the bye-election on Wednesday to fill a Senate seat from Sindh that fell vacant due to the disqualification of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Faisal Vawda.

Earlier, the three main opposition political parties in the Sindh Assembly, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Muttahida Quami Movement, and Grand Democratic Alliance, had jointly boycotted the by-election. Sindh PTI President Ali Haider Zaidi on Tuesday had tweeted that the PTI-led Opposition would boycott the Senate by-election as a protest because of the case against the disqualification of the Sindh CM for his dual nationality, is pending with the Supreme Court. Vawda was disqualified for giving false declaration on the issue of his dual nationality. However, PTI’s Agha Arsalan Khan was their candidate for the Senate bye-election.

A total of 101 votes were polled in the Senate by-poll held in the hall of the Sindh Assembly from 9 am to 4 pm. Khuhro secured 99 out of 101 votes cast, while two votes were rejected. Two lawmakers of PPP didn’t take part in the polling as they were abroad. Four legislators of the Opposition PTI polled their votes, though their party had decided to stay away from the polling. These lawmakers included Sachanand Sachal, Karim Bakhsh Gabol, Aslam Abro, and Shahar Yar Khan Shar.

Talking to the media, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah claimed that four PTI MPAs had cast votes in favour of PPP candidate Nisar Khuhro. The CM was accompanied by Senator-elect Nisar Khuhro. Congratulating Khuhro on his success, he described Nisar Khuhro as a senior and seasoned politician who would now represent the people of Sindh and the party in the Senate. At that point, CM Shah also disclosed that four PTI MPAs had come on their own to vote for Khuhro. He said neither he nor his ministers contacted any of the PTI MPAs but they [PTI’s legislators] chose to vote for PPP on their own. “The PTI government through its policies has not only frustrated people of Pakistan but also disappointed their elected members, that’s why they [MPAs/MNAs] have started to discard their party and the leadership,” he said. “They showed no confidence’ against Prime Minister Imran Khan and I am sure they would also vote in favour of a no-confidence motion against the prime minister. Shah said if the PTI had no interest in contesting the Senate election, they should have withdrawn the nomination papers of its candidate to save the expenditures of the Election Commission of Pakistan. “It was not a boycott (by the Opposition) but the fear of losing,” he said.

Shah said the prime minister was using filthy and foul language against the leadership of the opposition parties in public meetings which manifested his nervousness as he saw the writing on the wall. “He knows his days as the prime minister are numbered, therefore he has lost his senses and is abusing respectable leadership,” he said and deplored “this is his (PM’s) political legacy and the culture he promoted.” He also dared the PM to do whatever he wanted to against Opposition leadership now as in the coming few days as he wouldn’t get any more time afterwards. About the long march, Murad Ali Shah said that the people of Pakistan have already expressed their no confidence in the prime minister and unanimously demanded his removal.

Nisar Khuhro, the senator-elect, thanked the party leadership for giving him a ticket and the chief minister and the MPAs of PPP and those of the PTI for voting in his favour. “I am thankful for your confidence and support,” he said.