Secret ballot

Only horse-trading can save Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani from de-seating

The government is trying everything to save Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani from the no-confidence motion planned for August 1 — from negotiating with the opposition parties to wooing their members, amid reports that the going offer for changing loyalty has reached seven to eight million rupees, and could climb beyond fifty million rupees as the vote date draws near.

On a ‘Save Sanjrani Mission’ to Islamabad, the Balochistan CM had led a delegation of the government coalition to the residence of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman in a bid to convince him to withdraw plans to de-seat the Senate chairman as “such a move, though constitutional, would set an undesirable precedent”.

While a proper response from the Maulana is awaited, Sanjrani has himself stepped out in the field. He hosted a dinner in honour of the Upper House members, and the feast did manage to draw two opposition members — PML-N’s Kulsoom Parveen and Dilawar Khan, an Independent senator. That Senator Parveen claims support from more like-minded senators speaks of Sanjrani’s chances of survival.

In the House of 103 members, the chairman can be removed by a simple majority of 52 members. Given the current composition of the Senate, the opposition parties that enjoy support of 61 senators are in a comfortable numerical position to turn the tables on the government and its allies that have the backing of just 40 — meaning 12 short of the target.

While two Jamaat-e-Islami senators are highly likely to stay neutral, Sanjrani needs to win over 10 more senators even if Kulsoom Parveen and Dilawar Khan are counted in the government camp. While the tug of war between the government and the opposition continues, one thing is pretty evident: only horse-trading can save Sanjrani from de-seating.

Time to remind Imran Khan that as opposition leader he was bitterly critical of the secret ballot in Senate elections, and had pledged to replace it with a clean exercise — the show of hands.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26^th, 2019.

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