Rashid gives tentative timeline for Senate polls

Says upper house election could be held any time between February 12 and March 12

The country’s top security czar has said the opposition parties that are part of an anti-government alliance, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), are likely to take part in the upcoming Senate election and that Prime Minister Imran Khan and his government are here to stay. 

“Prime Minister Imran Khan is going nowhere and the government under his leadership will complete its five-year constitutional tenure,” Minister for Interior Sheikh Rashid said on Friday while talking to the media during a visit to the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) Headquarters.

“It seems that the PDM would take part in the coming Senate elections. The Senate elections could be held any time between February 12 and March 12,” he added.

The PDM – an 11-party opposition alliance that was formed in September with the avowed aim to dislodge the PTI led federal government –recently concluded the first phase of its anti-government campaign after holding six rallies in all four provinces.

The PDM recently announced that all lawmakers from the opposition parties would submit their resignations from the assembly seats to their respective party leadership by December 31. It also set a deadline for the government to quit by January 31.

As opposition threatened to hand in resignations from the federal and provincial legislatures, the ruling party weighed the option of holding the Senate polls – scheduled for March – at an earlier date in order to win control of the upper house by snatching majority from the PML-N.

“[Senate polls] can take place even before February,” Federal Minister for Information Shibli Faraz said on Tuesday in reply to a question while addressing a press conference after a federal cabinet meeting.

NADRA affairs

Rashid said 50 new NADRA centres would be opened across the country particularly in far-flung areas to facilitate people. “Provision of various facilities to the common people is the government's top priority. NADRA centres would be extended to the far-flung areas of the country.”

He said the ministry had decided to issue ordinary computerized national identity cards (CNIC) to the poor people free of cost within 15 days. "NADRA will issue the first CNIC free of cost within fifteen days, instead of forty days," he said.

The minister said passport and ID card offices would be opened in all the embassies of Pakistan under the supervision of NADRA and with the support of the Foreign Office. He said the number of NADRA mobile vans would also be increased to 300 to facilitate the people residing in far off areas of the country.

Rashid said the government is fully committed to resolving problems being faced by overseas Pakistanis. He said issues of overseas Pakistani would be resolved on priority. “Currently 16,000 people including 3,000 contractual staff are working in NADRA. No contract employee would be laid off,” he said.

Earlier, Rashid was briefed by NADRA Chairman Usman Mobin about the function of the organization. APP