Horse-trading fears had substance: Sethi

LAHORE: Senior analyst Najam Sethi has said that the hype about horse-trading in Senate elections was right and the voters shirked away due to the pressure of the media and Imran Khan.
Talking to Aapas ki Baat host Muneeb Farooq on Geo News on Friday, Sethi said the PPP, ANP and the PML-N gained in the elections and Maulana Fazlur Rahman and Aftab Sherpao have suffered, while the PTI results remained as per expectations. ANP’s leader Bushra Gohar told the programme that the PTI had kidnapped all its MPAs in the Chief Minister House and the MPAs who were most suspected were escorted in a circle of three persons. She said that the objection started from the vote of a JI member. Further the objections were raised against the votes of the treasury bench members because they had inserted plain papers in the ballot box and took the valid ballot paper to the chief minister house where the ballot papers was marked and other members cast those votes. This practice was carried out in a chain system in which all PTI members were involved. This was later proved when four plain papers each for general and women seats, and two each for technocrats and minorities seats were found in the ballot box. She said that it was a result of ANP’s political insight that it could grab one seat with five MPAs only. She said that 27 votes were confirmed for the ANP, including five of the PPP and surplus of the PTI.
Giving his in-depth analysis on the scenario regarding the Senate elections, Sethi said that certain MPAs in the PTI intended to make money and certain others wanted to register this annoyance with the party. He said the signs of rigging in Senate elections were clear when plain papers were found in the ballot box, because some PTI members took away ballot paper to chief minister to ensure vote cast as per party instruction. This has tarnished the impeccable image of the PTI, Sethi said. He expressed wonder that the PPP and ANP could grab one seat each despite having five seats each in the provincial assembly, while Sherpao could not win a single seat with his 10 MPAs and Fazlur Rahman could get only one with 17 MPAs. The PTI had supported PML-N member on one seat in order to ensure defeat of Fazlur Rahman.
Sethi said Imran tried hard to get approved the 22nd amendment which was possible in case of PPP nod. He said Pervaiz Khattak had offered Zardari to support the PPP on two seats in return for the latter’s nod to the amendment. Zardari was agreed to talk on it, but Fazlur Rahman intercepted and successfully wooed Zardari to his own formula aimed at ensuring victories for the PPP, JUI-F and ANP. Unknown to the latest development, Imran Khan called Zardari for thanks but Zardari excused, embarrassing Khan. Resultantly, Imran got offended with Khattak and threatened to dissolve the provincial assembly, Sethi said.