Alleged polls rigging: Senators to be part of probe body

ISLAMABAD: The consultation meeting between the treasury and opposition benches with National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser in the chair reached a principled understanding to turn the Special Committee of the National Assembly to probe the allegations of rigging in the general elections into parliamentary committee with the inclusion of senators.

The consultation meeting headed by NA Speaker Asad Qaiser was attended by Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, NA Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri, Leader of House in the Senate Shibli Faraz, senior PPP leader Syed Khursheed Shah, ex-NA Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Farukh Habib of the PTI.

The meeting was held on the desire of Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani who, along with Leader of the House in the Senate Shibli Faraz, communicated the reservation of the senators as the Senate was not being given representation in the said committee.

It was principally agreed in the meeting that the parliamentary committee to probe the allegations of the rigging in the general elections 2018 would be constituted comprising 24 members having two thirds from the National Assembly and one third from the Senate as per numerical strength of the parliamentary parties of both the houses of Parliament. It was also principally agreed that the Senate will forward the names as per strength of the parliamentary parties and same procedure be adopted in the National Assembly.