Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday chaired an important party leaders meeting to discuss matters related to upcoming Senate chairman, deputy chairman polls and NA-249 Karachi by-poll, local media reported.
The PTI leaders informed the prime minister about contacts made with allies for Senate chairman and deputy chairman polls.
Sources prior to the matter claim that the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan mulled over the name of PTI leader and newly elected Senator from Punjab Ejaz Chaudhry as a government-backed candidate for the Senate deputy chairman position.
The meeting also decided to take federal coalition parties into confidence regarding the finalize of a candidate for Senate deputy chairman office. During the meeting, matters pertaining to the NA-249 by-poll also came under discussion. The meeting mulled over names of issuing a party ticket to a candidate for the Karachi by-poll.
The final decision regarding PTI candidate for NA-249-by-poll will be taken by PTI parliamentary board formed.
Earlier in the day, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) said that it was disappointed after the federal government did not take MQM-P into confidence over Senate deputy chairman offer to Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).
MQM-P said that government should have taken its key ally MQM-P into confidence before offering Senate deputy chairman slot to JUI Secretary-General Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, according to MQM-P sources.
Federal Minister Pervaiz Khattak today offered the office of Deputy Chairman Senate to the JUI-F. Pervaiz Khattak and JUI Secretary-General Abdul Ghafoor Haideri were jointly talking with media persons here.
“I offer Abdul Ghafoor Haideri to become our deputy chairman Senate,” Khattak said during the media talk. “Are you nominated for the office of Senate deputy chairman,” a newsman questioned Ghafoor Haideri.
JUI Secretary-General later denied any offer from the government for the Senate deputy chairman office.
Puzzling Senate Elections results
The Senate Elections results were quite disturbing for the PTI. According to the returning officer, who announced the results after counting ended in the National Assembly, six of the total 340 ballots cast in the National Assembly were rejected. Gillani obtained 169 votes, whereas Shaikh got 164. One vote was not cast. The MPs were required to vote for 37 vacant seats of the Senate with 11 senators already elected unopposed from Punjab due to withdrawals from opposing candidates.
Polling was held for 12 seats each of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 11 of Sindh and two of the federal capital. MPAs from the three provincial assemblies cast their vote for the candidates fielded from Balochistan, KP and Sindh, while MNAs voted for the representatives from the federal capital.
“PTI has unanimously decided that Prime Minister Imran Khan will take a vote of confidence from the National Assembly,” Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said while addressing a press conference along with Federal Ministers Shafqat Mehmood, Asad Umar, Shireen Mazari, Fawad Chaudhry, Syed Ali Haider Zaidi, Hammad Azhar and others.
He described the victory of Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani as a “negation of democracy” as well as the endorsement of PM Imran Khan’s apprehensions of corrupt practices in the Senate elections.
Read more: PTI wins majority in Senate despite major setback in Islamabad,
The foreign minister said the way voting was done on the capital’s general seat, strengthened the PTI’s narrative about the use of money in the Senate elections. “We were apprehensive that the elections will be bought and the buyers of conscience will buy the votes using the name of democracy.”