Preventing horse-trading in elections biggest challenge: Malik

ISLAMABAD: Former interior minister and senior PPP leader Senator Abdul Rehman Malik has said there are many challenges in Pakistan's politics and of those the biggest is to prevent horse-trading in elections.

“The horse-trading is not any new phenomenon in the Pakistani politics. The government had enough time to bring legislation to prevent horse-trading but it issued a Presidential Ordinance instead,” he said while talking to newsmen here on Saturday. Malik said the Constitution is Senate elections through secret balloting, adding the use of open ballots in the Senate elections should be decided by parliament. He said he is sure that the Supreme Court will refer this matter back to parliament. Malik questioned that under what law, the Presidential Ordinance was issued as it is clearly against the constitutional provision regarding the Senate elections.

He asked if tomorrow the president wanted the term of the prime minister to be extended from five years to nine years, will he issue another ordinance, and would any such ordinance be constitutional and acceptable. He said what was the need for a presidential ordinance when the bill was already under consideration by the National Assembly and the Senate Standing Committees.

Malik said the morning session of the Senate was very good as fellow senators paid rich tributes to late Senator Mushahidullah Khan.

He said he was glad to know that, the PML-N had awarded Mushahidullah’s son with a Senate ticket and appreciated the party’s move for honouring the late senator’s loyalty and sincere services for the PML-N. He said honesty is the best policy and every politician should remain loyal to the country, democracy, the Constitution, and the party.