Political parties fail to agree on 22nd Amendment

ISLAMABAD: The PPP and JUI-F poured cold water on the Friday’s meeting of parliamentary parties’ leaders called by the prime minister to develop a consensus on introducing the 22nd Amendment to close the doors of horse-trading in the Senate election for good.
JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman stands on the PPP’s side, while all the other political groups support the government’s move for introducing the 22nd Amendment.Talking to the participants at the Prime Minister’s House, Nawaz said being the Upper House of Parliament, the Senate was a sacred institution and it was binding upon all the political parties to preserve and enhance its sanctity by making its election process fully transparent.
“It’s a matter of concern for all democratic forces in the country that the sale and purchase of votes of parliamentarians is going on, which is an obnoxious practice,” said the prime minister.He further said: “All political parties will have to sit together to develop a mechanism that puts a fullstop to this unholy business of sale of conscience, once and for all.”
He urged the political parties to put an end to horse-trading and save the Senate from corruption, so that democracy could flourish.The participants supported the government efforts to ensure transparency in the Senate election.
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, former prime minister Raja Parvez Ashraf, Farooq H. Naik and Ms. Sherry Rehman of PPP, Dr. Muhammad Farooq Sattar and Abdur Rashid Godail of MQM, Shafqat Mahmood, Dr. Arif Alvi and Ms. Shireen Mazari of PTI, Maulana Fazlur Rehman of JUI-F, Pir Sadruddin Shah of PML-F, Senator Abdur Rauf of PKMAP, Sahibzada Tariqullah of JI, Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour and Mian Iftikhar of ANP, Muhammad Ijazul Haq of PML-Z, Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao of QWP, Dr Ghazi Gulab Jamal from Fata, Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo and Ayub Malik of NP, Abbas Khan Afridi from Fata, federal ministers Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Senator Pervaiz Rashid, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Abdul Qadir Baloch, Ms. Anusha Rehman Ahmad Khan, Political Secretary to the PM Dr. Syed Asif Saeed Kirmani, Khawaja Zaheer Ahmad, Barrister Zafarullah Khan, Secretary to the PM Javaid Aslam and Attorney General Salman Butt attended the meeting.
PTI chief Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami Party chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed did not attend the meeting.Political observers opine that Nawaz Sharif’s efforts to pass the 22nd Amendment will not succeed.
Sources said the representatives of the MQM, PTI, JI, and Fata welcomed the government’s move, but the leadership of the PPP and JUI-F expressed their reservations.The PPP and the JUI-F leaders asked the ruling party to activate the Electoral Reforms Committee for comprehensive reforms instead of making changes to the Constitution for the Senate election.
Both the parties were of opinion that all parties should internally sort out this issue and trust each other as this was not right time to bring a constitutional amendment.The ANP and Qaumi Watan Party of Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao were of opinion that the government should develop political consensus if it wanted to bring the constitutional amendment.
Before gathering at the PM House, PPP co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari talked to the ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan, PML-Q leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and all these parties had a similar view during the meeting.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reportedly asked the PPP and JUI-F parliamentary leaders to rethink about the amendment until Saturday (today), as it was necessary to stop horse-trading.
The PML-N requires the unconditional support of the PPP for a two-thirds majority in the Senate since it commands majority in the Senate till March 11.It is expected that the prime minister will also meet the parliamentary leaders on Saturday (today) to discuss the constitutional amendment.
The prime minister’s alternative formula was that all the political parties should sit together and chalk out a list of their candidates in commensurate with their strength in the respective house for uncontested election of the candidates.
Speaking to the media after meeting the prime minister, Raja Pervez Ashraf said his party believed the government should take all the political leaders on board before going for a constitutional amendment.
“We are against any kind of rigging and horse-trading in the election, but it is important for the government to build a consensus before introducing any constitutional amendment in Parliament,” Ashraf said.
He also said the PPP leadership demands electoral reforms for transparent elections in future. Fazlur Rehman said the political parties should take action against its members if they cast their vote in favour of a non-party representative in the Senate election. He further said the constitutional amendment would make the loyalty of party members doubtful.
MQM leader Dr. Farooq Sattar said his party will favour the amendment, while PTI leader Dr Arif Alvi said his party chief Imran Khan had already welcomed the government’s move. JI Parliamentary Leader Sahibzada Tariqullah and Federal Minister for Textiles Abbas Khan Afridi said they will support the government’s move in this regard.