ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Science & Technology Fawad Chaudhry said that PML-N and the PPP are now suspicious of each other after the Opposition’s defeat in the Senate polls which were held on Friday for the chairman and deputy chairman’s slots.
Chaudhry said that “God has given PTI victory,” adding that, “We won [Senate seats] from each of the [five] assemblies.”
“There is a need to make the Senate election process more transparent. The PML-N and the PPP are now suspicious of each other. All these parties only got together out of spite for Imran Khan,” he said.
Referring to the PDM’s announcement to challenge the decision in the court, Chaudhry said: “They will not getting anything from the courts — Sanjrani is chairman Senate now.”
The government was still willing to sit with the Opposition to introduce electoral reforms. Prime Minister Imran Khan wanted to hold Senate elections through an open ballot, yet the opposition did not support him, Chaudhry added.
In a tweeter post Chaudhry also stated that: “If the Election Commission had fulfilled its responsibilities and passed the Supreme Court orders to hold transparent elections, the finger would not have been pointed at the Senate elections. ECP should change its behaviour.”
This comes as the ruling party PTI won both seats in the senate chairmanship election.
In the race for chairman, Sadiq Sanjrani received 48 votes, while Yousaf Raza Gillani received 42 votes despite the fact that the opposition has the majority in the upper house.
On the other hand, government candidate Mirza Mohammad Afridi won the election for the deputy chairman of the Senate with 54 votes, defeating Opposition’s Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, who grabbed 44 votes.
Meanwhile, Opposition alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Friday announced that they will challenge the rejection of seven votes cast in favour of their candidate Yousaf Raza Gilani on the court.
