Baloch warns against premature Senate polls

LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami Naib Ameer Liaquat Baloch has warned the PTI government against holding Senate elections prematurely; saying reducing the constitutional tenure of a state institution would open the doors for holding premature elections of parliament and provincial assemblies.

Talking to media Thursday, Baloch expressed concerns that Imran-led government was destroying the democratic parliamentary institutions and process in every possible way. He said the Constitution has laid down the tenure of Senate and procedure of holding elections on preferential proportionate representation basis. He warned that PTI government could not unilaterally amend this constitutional procedure through ordinances, adding that if such a decision was taken it would complicate the existing political, democratic and electoral crises beyond recovery.

He advised Prime Minister Imran Khan to focus on improving governance and rectifying his mistakes instead of making further mistakes and committing political blunders. He wondered as to how long the patrons of Imran government would continue to extend their backing under the fast deteriorating situation and dictatorial governance.

Baloch said Fall of Dhaka was the blackest and saddest chapter of country’s history, caused by a military dictatorship which crushed the constitutional institutions and the process of elections, transfer of power and national unity through power of gun. He said the dictatorial regime created a situation where election results were not accepted and dictatorial decisions were imposed on elected leadership, allowing Sh Mujibur Rehman and ZA Bhutto forced their separatist ways in pursuit of power. He said the lesson of Dhaka fall was to ensure and implement the two-nation theory, supremacy of constitution and law, and transparent elections. He said the historic tragedy proved that personalities and political power are temporary.