Senate proceedings: Govt successful in stifling debate on rigging in AJK polls

Raja Zafarul Haq claimed discussion was relevant since govt facilitated the unfair practice.

ISLAMABAD:

The government foiled the PML-N-led opposition’s collective bid for a discussion on the ‘massive rigging’ in the recent elections for Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly in the Senate, by pointing out lack of quorum.

Leader of the House, Senator Nayyar Bukhari was quick to oppose PML-N’s Senator Raja Zafarul Haq, who wanted to table a motion for a debate on ‘manipulation’ of results.

“Any specific irregularities in the AJK elections should have been taken up with the AJK election tribunal,” Bukhari countered.  “AJK has its own independent election commission, a superior court and an interim constitution.”

He contended that it was not appropriate to discuss the AJK polls in the Senate in Pakistan and the opposition was playing up the issue for political point-scoring.

The leader of the opposition managed to spark a debate in the house on the relevance of such a discussion. Haq claimed that it was relevant to the Senate since the federal government misused its resources to facilitate ‘rigging’.

Before adjourning the session for a lengthy break, Deputy Chairman Jan Muhammad Jamali promised the joint opposition of PML-N, JI and MQM to take a voice vote on whether to allow the motion. The government, however, successfully avoided the risk of a confrontation with an ally it still hopes to woo back to its fold.

When the proceedings resumed after the break, Senator Faisal Raza Abidi of the PPP was quick to point out lack of quorum. Jamali prorogued the house, since there were not more than 16 members present at the time, after quorum bells failed to summon their colleagues.

Right-wing parties pressed the deputy chairman to allow a debate on an event for homosexuals organised by the US embassy in Islamabad earlier this month. The chair decided to refer the matter to the committee on foreign affairs. He said that the law minister and one representative from each party would decide on a course of action for the Senate.



Published in The Express Tribune, July 23^rd, 2011.