Murad basks in the glory of Senate triumph

Says opposition’s stance on ballot rejection meant to suit own interests rather than democracy

ISLAMABAD:

Federal Minister for Communications and Postal Services Murad Saeed on Saturday said that the opposition had termed the rejection of seven votes in the National Assembly on March 3 a beauty of democracy but now started hue and cry on the rejection of seven votes in the Senate.

Former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani had defeated ruling PTI candidate Abdul Hafeez Shaikh for the general seat from Islamabad on March 3. However, PTI-backed Sadiq Sanjrani defeated Gilani to become the Senate chairman for another term on March 12. Addressing a news conference, he congratulated the nation and PTI workers on winning the Senate chairman and deputy chairman elections. He said once again it had been proved that PTI was the only party which represented all federating units while opposition parties, including the PML-N and the PPP, had become regional parties.

The minister said that opposition was exposed during the Senate elections as they opposed open balloting, adding that the Charter of Democracy was, in fact, the “Charter of Robbery”. He said that opposition parties had come into politics for making money, adding that the government introduced amendments in the relevant laws in parliament and also approached the apex court for open balloting, but the opposition parties opposed it. The minister said that instead of following the Constitution and the court directives, Yusuf Raza Gilani, the newly elected senator and the former prime minister, preferred the protection of PPP Co-chairman Asif Zardari and his plunder. Murad fired a broadside at the former PM, saying: “Gilani stole the necklace of the Turkish president’s wife donated for the flood victims. “Gilani’s son was caught doing what was his ancestral profession. His children have also been involved in big scandals.”

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He said that the opposition formed the PDM for seeking NRO but they failed to get it. The minister strongly condemned the statement of the PML-N during a news conference after the Senate chairman elections, saying that the nation was hurt by it. He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan desired the country to move towards progress and prosperity by eliminating the old system which had ruined the economy, ethics and democratic norms. The minister said that earlier, the people had rejected the PDM in each city of the country and now they were also rejected in the elections of Senate chairman and deputy chairman. He said that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari became the chairman on a “Parchi” and Maryam Nawaz was the daughter of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who was disqualified by the courts, adding that the opposition parties were not in politics to protect national interest but to protect their corruption.

Murad was of the view that transparency in the system was the only way forward to put the country on the right track. He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had always propagated transparency in the system throughout his 22-year-long struggle and “we are committed to implement his vision”. The minister said opposition parties, in the name of PDM, were staging a drama in the country and were on the roads after they failed to get an NRO. He urged the opposition not to destabilise the country at the cost of protecting their illegal assets. The minister also urged them to make constructive criticism on real issues instead of opting for blame game against the national institutions.