ISLAMABAD: The Senate’s Standing Committee on Finance elected PPP’s Saleem Mandviwalla as its chairman on Tuesday.
Senators from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Shibli Faraz, and Mohsin Aziz, abstained from the election.
Speaking to the media, Shibli Faraz expressed his discontent, stating that the standing committee chairman had traditionally been from the opposition. “This is the first time voting is being held for the seat,” he said, adding, “If voting is to be held, then the practice should be followed by other committees as well.”
Faraz also commented that if the PPP was in the opposition, it should align with PTI instead of engaging in what he termed as political games.
In response to PTI’s boycott, Mandviwalla mentioned that elections were held last year as well, and committee members had requested PTI senators to cast their votes.
The newly elected chairman emphasised that the committee’s affairs have always been managed with consensus, not along party lines.