PTI letter to IMF generates heated debate in Senate

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s letter to the IMF on behalf of its founder chairman Imran Khan generated a heated debate in the Senate on Friday, as the party members strongly backed the move while others called it a bid to invite foreign meddling in internal matters.

Through the recently written letter, which has drawn the ire of many, the party has tried to convince the IMF to link its next tranche to the election audit. The devastating rains in Gwadar also echoed in the House at the very outset, as the matter was raised by Senator Tahir Bizenjo, who alleged the aid meant for the victims would be taken away by NDMA and PDMA.

In the thinly-attended sitting, PMLN’s vocal Senator Saadia Abbasi was the first to raise the issue of PTI’s letter to the IMF in the House, regretting the invitation to intervene in internal matters of Pakistan. She made it clear that the IMF was neither an investigation agency nor had the role to force its will in matters linked with Pakistan’s sovereignty. Imran Khan’s role could be that of the strongest opposition party, she pointed out and maintained the opposition is a watchdog on the government and a government-in-waiting, adding that domestic issues should be resolved domestically. She also laid emphasis on the need for all to join hands to protect Pakistan’s interests.

PTI Senator Humayun Mohmand responded to her by revealing that the IMF had sought a meeting with Imran Khan in June 2023, as the donor agency’s board of governors had declared that it would offer a bailout package only after the PTI founding chairman would give a guarantee. Imran Khan, he recalled, had been told that the first tranche would be released to the PDM government, the second to the caretaker government and the third to the next elected government.

He added, “We are just reminding them that the next tranche is to be given to those having the mandate as a government is being formed by those who had stolen the mandate.” He referred to her brother Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s viewpoint and that of former PPP senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar and PMLN leader Javed Latif.

Senior PMLN leader Senator Irfan Siddiqui contended that an invitation to foreign institutions to intervene in the internal affairs of Pakistan by those who say “subjugation unacceptable” was condemnable. He informed the chair that he had already submitted an adjournment motion on the subject with the secretariat for a debate in the House.

About the jailed female PTI activists, he emphasized that there should be no injustice with women in jails for their association with the PTI; however, there were some 1,400 women behind bars, besides PTI’s four women leaders and activists including Dr Yasmin Rashid, Aalia Hamza, Sanam Javed and Aisha Bhutta. He maintained that he just could not support the demand for releasing four women without legal process, only because of their association with the PTI.

Another PTI Senator Zeeshan Khanzada slammed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for not allocating reserved seats to the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), which was joined by his party-backed independently-elected candidates. Then, he referred to the letter written by the US lawmakers urging President Joe Biden not to recognise the government in Pakistan until the rigging allegations were thoroughly investigated. He was followed by PTI Senator Saifullah Abro, who believed that the election to the office of prime minister should be held only after the National Assembly was complete.

PPP’s Waqar Mehdi said his party also had reservations about elections as certain seats were taken away from it. However, he contended elections were an internal matter of Pakistan and that writing to the IMF was enmity with Pakistan. He said those having grievances should approach the election tribunals or courts. Nisar Khuhro of the PPP cautioned that such moves would weaken democracy, adding political forces must not take steps that amount to attempts to derail democracy.

Though the Election Commission has issued a schedule for by-election to fill six seats, which had fallen vacant, including those of Nisar Khuhro and Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar, yet both were present in the House. Khuhro even took part in the informal debate on the PTI letter to the IMF. The ECP notification not only mentions them by name but also says that both were elected members of the Sindh Assembly. The Senate Secretariat also mentioned their attendance as well as being senators in Friday’s sitting.