Opposition, govt at loggerheads on presidential ordinance

While the opposition rejected the presidential ordinance that paved the way for adopting open ballot for the upcoming Senate polls with the PPP hinting at moving the Supreme Court against the ordinance, the government said it would accept the SC’s opinion on Senate polls mode “wholeheartedly”.

Two key PPP senators on Sunday slammed the presidential ordinance promulgated by the PTI led government on Saturday in a bid to hold the upcoming Senate elections through open ballot, saying that move has led to a “constitutional crisis.”

“The ordinance is based on mala fide intention. This government is playing games with institutions that are functioning in accordance with the Constitution,” Senator Raza Rabbani said while addressing a press conference in Karachi along with Senator Sherry Rehman.

He said the ordinance is an attempt to pressure the SC and make the Senate elections controversial. “The ordinance could be challenged in the SC,” he added.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, however, sad the government will open-heartedly accept any decision of the Supreme Court on the mode of voting at the upcoming Senate polls.

Also read: Opposition against transparency in Senate polls: Shibli

“The ordinance for the Senate elections is not aimed at giving anyone any favor but to bring transparency in the electoral process,” Qureshi said while addressing the media in Multan.

The minister advised the opposition to refrain from creating a chaotic situation in the country.

“The entire Pakistan knows about the buying and selling [of votes] in the Senate polls,” he said, adding that “this bidding in the upper house of the parliament should stop.”

Unfortunately, he added, the PPP and the PML-N want to buy loyalties of lawmakers.

“We ask the PPP and PML-N as to why they want to evade the situation today when they had earlier supported open balloting under the Charter of Democracy [signed by the two parties in 2006].”

The opposition parties, particularly those which are part of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), have been offering a stern opposition to use of open ballot at the Senate polls, terming it an attempt by the government to prevent its own lawmakers from changing loyalties