Raza Rabbani. PHOTO: FILE
On the second day of the Senate session requisitioned by the PML-N and its allies, former chairman Raza Rabbani and Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Sherry Rehman questioned as to how the banned outfits and those on the Fourth Schedule “are being allowed to take part in the elections”.
On the other hand, the two mainstream political parities - the PPP and the PML-N - were being sidelined by instituting cases against their leaders and workers, they said, adding that the election engineering would lead to dire consequences.
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Rabbani, in his fiery speech, also questioned the deployment of the army inside the polling stations.
He said earlier election authorities had said that the troops would be deployed outside the polling stations. Later, he said, their role was changed and the troops would be deployed inside the polling stations as well.
It is for the first time that army would be deployed inside and outside all the polling stations across the country.
In the past, the deployments had been limited to sensitive and most sensitive polling stations only.
Rabbani was also perhaps not aware that the ECP had already released a code of conduct for the army troops and police officers to be deployed for poll duty. He claimed that there was no code of conduct for them.
He also took up the issue of restrictions on the media and said that some newspapers and news channels were being pressurised.
Rabbani alleged, “The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) summons candidates in its offices and makes them sit for hours to disrupt their election campaigns, while the caretaker government and the ECP remain silent spectators.”
He said both the government and the election body have failed in their responsibility to provide a level-playing field in the run-up to the election. “This situation casts doubts over the credibility of this month’s elections.”
He criticised a purported statement of the caretaker Punjab home minister that he was personally monitoring the process of removing names of those who were put on the Fourth Schedule wrongly.
Senator Sherry Rehman refuted some media reports that her party was making an alliance with the PML-Zia, a smaller faction of the Pakistan Muslim League headed by Ijazul Haq, the son of former military ruler Gen Ziaul Haq.
She said it was not possible for the PPP to support son of a military dictator who murdered the founding chairman of the party.
She also spoke on the issue of banned outfits contesting the elections. She said an attempt was being made to bring such elements to the mainstream which would create division in the country.
Rehman said if such elements enter parliament, they would squeeze the breathing space for open-minded people. She also came down hard on the Punjab home minister’s statement about the Forth Schedule.
She said the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) issued threat alerts for many politicians, including PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. “These politicians are facing real threats and should be provided proper security.”
National Party Senator Ashok Kumar complained about suspension of internet services in Balochistan for unknown reasons.
He said this was being done to rig the elections. Taking notice of his complaints, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani ordered the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to restore the internet services in Balochistan.
PML-N senators Pervaiz Rashid and Saadia Abbasi also spoke on the same lines.
They said those against whom there were allegations of terrorism “are being facilitated to come to parliament”, while “genuine political leadership is being driven out”.
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They said Pakistan was already placed on the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force last month. “And such steps will dent the image of the country further.”
They said the PML-N candidates were being targeted by NAB and courts, while the PTI candidates were being given exemption by the same courts.
Rashid said a NAB court gave PTI Chairman Imran Khan exemption on Thursday.
The PML-N senator also criticised another purported statement by the caretaker Punjab chief minister published on an Indian website in which he was quoted as saying that Imran Khan’s party would win more seats this time.
“How can the caretaker chief minister make such predictions?” he questioned. He demanded that the Punjab chief minister should resign over his statement.
Saadia Abbasi also criticised Askari’s purported statement and said his bias against their party had been exposed. She urged the ECP to take notice of it.
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