Resolution moved in PA in favour of open voting

Zaman says move aimed at forestalling horse-trading

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Khurram Sher Zaman presented a resolution in the Sindh Assembly on Thursday to hold the upcoming Senate elections through show of hands.

Speaking in this regard, Zaman said the move was aimed at forestalling horse-trading during the polls.

"In order to ensure transparent Senate elections, the PTI has called for holding the polls through show of hands," he said, adding that the need for it was also stressed in the Charter of Democracy signed by the late former premier Benazir Bhutto and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif.

Zaman stated that in a bid to end corruption and horse-trading, Benazir had demanded holding Senate elections through open ballot.

He went on to say that over the years, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the PML-N had done nothing to end horse-trading, claiming that the two parties, in fact, "didn't want the practice to come to an end."

"The PTI has presented the resolution in an attempt to bring horse-trading to an end," he said. "And if the PPP opposes this resolution, it would prove that the party is no longer following the footsteps of Benazir, but [PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali] Zardari."

Zaman made it clear that if his party learnt that any of its members had cast vote to an opponent party, his or her membership would be terminated.

Read: Treasury, opposition clash in NA over Senate vote bill

'PDM driving country towards chaos'

Separately, opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly and PTI vice-president in Sindh Haleem Adil Sheikh claimed that while Pakistan's economy was gaining stability, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) - the 11-party opposition alliance - was driving the country towards chaos.

"The PDM is unhappy with development in the country and despite all its tactics meeting with failure, it continues to brazenly talk about holding public meetings again," remarked Haleem. "But [the intent behind] their protests, sit-ins, rallies and resignations and all their lies are out in the open."

Speaking with regards to Kashmir Day, the PTI leader said the Kashmir issue needed to be resolved in accordance with the United Nations resolutions.

Corruption

Separately, PTI leader Firdous Shamim Naqvi, while speaking to the media, held the judiciary and citizens responsible for corruption in the country.

He was of the view that the judiciary had failed to play its part for eradicating the menace of corruption.

Naqvi stressed that all citizens would have to play their role for bringing corruption to an end.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 5^th, 2021.