'Malicious intent': Raza Rabbani blasts govt over Senate election presidential ordinance

The presidential ordinance promulgated to introduce the open ballot method in the Senate elections is based on "malicious intent", PPP's Senator Raza Rabbani said Saturday.

Rabbani, speaking during a Senate session, said that President Arif Alvi "went against the Constitution" and "purposely" paved the way for an opportunity to "undermine" the Upper House.

Reiterating the Opposition's claim, the former chariman Senate said that the ordinance was introduced to control the "hostility within their ranks" and that it was promulgated to forward a "political agenda".

"Today is the Senate's first session after the issuance of the presidential ordinance. According to the Constitution, the ordinance should be presented in the first sitting after its issuance," he said.

Explaining why he considered the ordinance to be based on "malicious intent", Rabbani said that the government had not presented it in the National Assembly session yesterday, and neither was it moved in the Senate sitting today.

The PPP leader, asking the government why it had not taken the Opposition into confidence regarding the amendment bill, said: "After a debate took place on the amendment bill in the National Assembly, the government indefinitely adjourned National Assembly and Senate's sessions."

The senator noted that an ordinance is a temporary legislation, its term is 120 days. "You (government) have made a mockery of the Senate elections."

"The ordinance was not presented out of fear that a resolution to reject it might have been presented," Rabbani added.