22nd constitutional amendment: Chances of PTI’s return to parliament fading
Govt’s failure to evolve consensus for the amendment may further deter party
Govt’s failure to evolve consensus for the amendment may further deter party. PHOTO: REUTERS
ISLAMABAD:
Chances for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to make a comeback in parliament almost faded on Saturday after refusal by the government’s ally Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam - Fazl (JUI-F) and main opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to back the 22nd constitutional amendment.
The ruling Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) made its utmost effort to evolve a consensus among all the political parties to bring the proposed amendment whereby the upper house’s elections would be conducted through a ‘show of hands’. The PTI was equally interested in enacting this law to avoid losing its Senate seats due to horse trading.
After seven months of boycott, there was a chance that the PTI would return to parliament if consensus was developed among all the political parties over bringing the 22th constitutional amendment. For the purpose, the PTI had also sent its representative to a parliamentary party meeting at the Prime Minister House on Friday. But after latest refusal by the JUI-F and PPP, chances of PTI’s return remain slim.
The government will not be able make this amendment without the support of PPP and JUI-F in the Senate, but these parties are not willing to support the government at this stage.
JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Saturday informed a government delegation led by Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid that it would not be part of any such amendment at the eleventh hour of the Senate election. “If PTI did not waste its time in the months’ long sit-in and played its role in the election reform committee, then such lacunas in the electoral system could have been removed much earlier,” he noted. He said that he did not want to see his parliamentarians with suspicion and other politicians should also have confidence in them. Both the PML-N and PTI would be the beneficiaries of this law if it could be enacted as both are vulnerable to possible defection of MPAs in the secret balloting system. The MPAs of both these parties are not happy with their leadership over the selection of the candidates.
Talking to The Express Tribune, PTI leader Umar Cheema said that PTI wanted to overhaul the system and despite having differences with the government, it managed to send its representative to the parliamentary committee’s meeting at the Prime Minister House. He added that some political parties do not want a check on horse-trading in the Senate elections due to the obvious reasons.
Cheema dispelled rumours of a possible return to the assemblies, saying: “The PTI had never decided to return to parliament even if there was a consensus on the amendment.” The decision to come to parliament is to be taken by the party’s core-committee,” he said, adding that they had resigned on a principled stance.
He said that PTI provincial chapter is working to discourage the menace of horse trading in the election of the upper house, which is a stigma on the face of parliament. “This is a matter of sanctity of parliament and that is why the PTI extended its support to the government.”
The PML-N is facing opposition from its MPAs due to fielding of candidates either from Sindh or central Punjab. Around 150 party MPAs from southern Punjab are unhappy with the nomination of only one Senate candidate from the neglected part of the province. The MPAs in the K-P and Balochistan assemblies are also unhappy with the PML-N’s selection of candidates from their province. Similarly, the PTI’s MPAs in K-P are unhappy with the nominations, mainly out of fear of possible horse-trading.
Secret ballots are likely to benefit the PPP and JUI-F in the three provinces.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 1st, 2015.
Chances for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to make a comeback in parliament almost faded on Saturday after refusal by the government’s ally Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam - Fazl (JUI-F) and main opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to back the 22nd constitutional amendment.
The ruling Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) made its utmost effort to evolve a consensus among all the political parties to bring the proposed amendment whereby the upper house’s elections would be conducted through a ‘show of hands’. The PTI was equally interested in enacting this law to avoid losing its Senate seats due to horse trading.
After seven months of boycott, there was a chance that the PTI would return to parliament if consensus was developed among all the political parties over bringing the 22th constitutional amendment. For the purpose, the PTI had also sent its representative to a parliamentary party meeting at the Prime Minister House on Friday. But after latest refusal by the JUI-F and PPP, chances of PTI’s return remain slim.
The government will not be able make this amendment without the support of PPP and JUI-F in the Senate, but these parties are not willing to support the government at this stage.
JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Saturday informed a government delegation led by Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid that it would not be part of any such amendment at the eleventh hour of the Senate election. “If PTI did not waste its time in the months’ long sit-in and played its role in the election reform committee, then such lacunas in the electoral system could have been removed much earlier,” he noted. He said that he did not want to see his parliamentarians with suspicion and other politicians should also have confidence in them. Both the PML-N and PTI would be the beneficiaries of this law if it could be enacted as both are vulnerable to possible defection of MPAs in the secret balloting system. The MPAs of both these parties are not happy with their leadership over the selection of the candidates.
Talking to The Express Tribune, PTI leader Umar Cheema said that PTI wanted to overhaul the system and despite having differences with the government, it managed to send its representative to the parliamentary committee’s meeting at the Prime Minister House. He added that some political parties do not want a check on horse-trading in the Senate elections due to the obvious reasons.
Cheema dispelled rumours of a possible return to the assemblies, saying: “The PTI had never decided to return to parliament even if there was a consensus on the amendment.” The decision to come to parliament is to be taken by the party’s core-committee,” he said, adding that they had resigned on a principled stance.
He said that PTI provincial chapter is working to discourage the menace of horse trading in the election of the upper house, which is a stigma on the face of parliament. “This is a matter of sanctity of parliament and that is why the PTI extended its support to the government.”
The PML-N is facing opposition from its MPAs due to fielding of candidates either from Sindh or central Punjab. Around 150 party MPAs from southern Punjab are unhappy with the nomination of only one Senate candidate from the neglected part of the province. The MPAs in the K-P and Balochistan assemblies are also unhappy with the PML-N’s selection of candidates from their province. Similarly, the PTI’s MPAs in K-P are unhappy with the nominations, mainly out of fear of possible horse-trading.
Secret ballots are likely to benefit the PPP and JUI-F in the three provinces.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 1st, 2015.