‘PML-N, PTI on same page against horse-trading’

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday said both the PML-N and the PTI were on the same page on eliminating the culture of horse-trading from politics.
Dar, who led the PML-N’s delegation to negotiations with the PTI team, invited the PTI to participate in the meeting of parliamentary leaders to be held on Friday (today).
Talking to the media after the meeting, he said the government had decided after contacting almost all the political parties of the country that polling in the upcoming senate election, to be held on March 5, would be open and identifiable.
He said in order to root out horse-trading and make the Senate elections transparent, amendments were being considered to allow changes in existing procedures and rules for conducting the poll for the senate seats.
PTI Secretary General Jahangir Tareen said he would talk to the high command of his party which would decide whether to participate in the parliamentary leaders meeting or not. He hoped that the outcome was likely to be positive.
He said his party welcomed the federal cabinet’s decision for making the Senate elections transparent. “It has been our stance from the beginning that there should not be any secret voting in the Senate elections.”He said the government should evolve a mechanism to discourage politicians from selling their votes, adding that all horse-traders should be punished accordingly.
To a question, Dar said major differences on forming a judicial commission were removed and only three points were to be decided which would be resolved soon. “We are trying our best to resolve this issue as it is our inordinate desire that PTI should return back to the Parliament as soon as possible”, he added.
To another question the minister said the World Bank had formally informed the government that Pakistan had once again become eligible for availing the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) funding after a gap of three years.
He said “as Pakistan is now maintaining foreign exchange reserves of more than 2.5 months of projected imports and has satisfied other criteria of World Bank under the Country Partnership strategy (CPS), it will now be able to avail $2 billion worth of IBRD funding during the four year period of fiscal years 2015-19 with annual limit of $500 million.
Our correspondent adds from Lahore: Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique on the acting Jamaat-e-Islami chief, Liaqat Baloch, at Mansoora and discussed the prevailing political situation, especially the upcoming Senate elections.
Talking to media, Saad said he had come with special instructions from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in his efforts to check those trying to purchase votes in Senate elections through bidding.
Saad said the government wanted to close all the doors of horse-trading through the proposed 22nd amendment.Replying to a question, Saad said the law enforcement agencies harassing the religious circles under the cover of the National Action Plan (NAP) against terrorism would be dealt strictly. He said the government respected the mandate of all the parties.
Baloch said the JI would support every effort for making the election system transparent, and added that horse-trading in any form would defame democratic system. He said if the Senate polls also became controversial like the 2013 general elections then it would endanger the democratic system with the masses losing faith in the ballot.
He strongly condemned the raids at mosques and seminaries and urged the government to clarify its position on the issue.Baloch demanded action against those who were maligning Islam under the pretext of the NAP. He expressed the hope that the government would review the orders for the detention of religious leaders.