ISLAMABAD: Sardar Akhtar Mengal, leader of the Balochistan National Party (BNP-M), has announced plans to file a reference seeking the disqualification of two senators from his party who voted in favor of the 26th Constitution Amendment Bill, which he claims was against the party’s stance.
Senators Muhammad Qasim and Naseema Ehsan of the BNP-M supported the bill, enabling the ruling coalition to solidify its majority in the upper house.
In a media briefing, Mengal expressed his discontent over the passage of the amendment, alleging that he was forcibly removed from both the visitors’ gallery and the members’ lobby of the Senate by the sergeant-at-arms before the voting process commenced.
He claimed this action was taken to prevent him from confronting the two dissenting senators.
Mengal stated that he intended to make eye contact with Qasim and Ehsan in an attempt to make them feel embarrassed about their decision. However, security personnel informed him that he could not occupy the gallery or lobby due to directives from Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani.
This incident appears to be part of heightened security measures implemented by the government leading up to the crucial vote in both houses of Parliament on Sunday.
Additionally, there were reports that unidentified individuals allegedly abducted the husband and a son of Senator Naseema Ehsan from the Parliament Lodges.
During the Senate session on October 17, as opposition members criticized the government for alleged harassment, Ehsan struggled to articulate her concerns, simply stating: “The sanctity of chador and chaar diwari had been violated.”
