ISLAMABAD: The ruling coalition led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday made an apparent attempt to create a wedge between the opposition alliance of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) by offering the slot of deputy chairman of Senate to a nominee of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) but the party’s top leadership foiled the plan.
The offer was made by Defence Minister Pervez Khattak who lured senior JUI-F leader Maulana Abdul Ghafoori Haideri during a meeting with Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani. Haideri initially looked flattered and said that he even did not know he was named a candidate by the PDM.
However, the JUI-F later rejected the offer, calling it a trap.
A source told Pakistan Today that Haideri changed his stance on PTI’s offer following being admonished by the PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. Haideri later condemned the offer and said that the defence minister should have brought the matter up in public.
Earlier, Khattak and Haideri spoke to media after a meeting with Senate chairman.
“I offered Haideri Sahib to become our deputy chairman [in the] Senate,” Khattak said, but Haideri did not react.
“Are you nominated for the office of Senate deputy chairman?” a journalist asked Haideri who responded that he had not been formally informed by the PDM.
“Sadiq Sanjrani sahib is our chairman for now and we meet occasionally,” he said and added that he did not know who will be the chairman after March 12.
RANA SANAULLAH CALLS OFFER A PLOY TO DIVIDE PDM:
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Punjab President Rana Sanaullah reacted to the presser of Khattak and Haideri and said that the move by the government seemed to be an attempt to cause a rift within the PDM parties.
“The JUI-F is bound by the decisions of the PDM. Fazl chaired a meeting yesterday and it had been agreed with a consensus to nominate Yousaf Raza Gillani as the alliance’s joint candidate for the Senate chairman elections,” he said.
Sanaullah added that a committee headed by Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had been formed to select a nominee for the Senate deputy chairman post. He said that according to his information, the committee had picked Haideri as its nominee for the slot.
The former Punjab law minister, however, said that he did not think the JUI-F would accept the offer.
PDM NAMES HAIDERI ITS NOMINEE FOR DEPUTY CHAIRMAN SLOT:
Later, PDM decided to field Haideri for the slot of Senate deputy chairman while the PML-N will get the post of opposition leader in the upper house of parliament.
A meeting of the steering committee was held under the chair of former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi at his residence. The meeting deliberated on names of candidates for the elections; however, an official announcement will be made by PDM head Fazl.
PDM has fielded Gillani for the post of chairman Sanjrani has been fielded for the post of chairman senate by the ruling coalition.
According to unofficial results of the Senate elections, the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has won 10 seats from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), two from Sindh, one from Islamabad and five from Punjab.
With the joining of PTI by Abdul Qadir, an independent candidate from Balochistan, the number of seats of PTI have risen to 27, making PTI as largest party in Senate.
Similarly, the ruling party’s coalition partner, Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) has 13 members in the Senate, while Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has three, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) have one member each and three independents are also supporting the government.
On the other hand, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is the second largest party in the House with 20 members. PML-N has 18, JUI-f has five, while Awami National Party (ANP) and National Party (NP) have two members each. Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) have one member each, and two independent members are with the opposition while Jamat-e-Islami (JI) is yet to make its decision which has one member.
PTI MAY FIELD SENATOR EJAZ CHAUDHRY FOR COVETED SLOT:
Separately, the ruling PTI proposed Senator Ejaz Chaudhry’s name as the party’s candidate for the slot of deputy chairman to Prime Minister Imran Khan.
According to informed sources, Prime Minister Imran will take a decision over the nomination on Wednesday after taking all the coalition partners into confidence.
As per sources, a meeting of party leaders was held under the chairmanship of PM Imran in which the political situation and nomination of the deputy chairman candidate were discussed. They said that the prime minister said that he would take a decision after taking the allied parties into confidence over the nomination of deputy chairman.
Sources further said that the prime minister may also agree to a nomination from the allies.
