Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiative Asad Umar on Tuesday said that as the date for Senate elections was approaching, the politicians have started setting their rates to sell votes for Senate seats.
“It is not a new practice as we have been observing such “Bakra Mandis”-like practices in parliament for a long, but the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government wants to stop such obnoxious game once for all,” he said while addressing a press conference, flanked by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz.
Asad Umar said the leaked video that was being circulated in media, was the video actually recorded in 2018 before senate elections, clearly showed that some Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly members were receiving cash to sell their votes. He said the PTI had cancelled the party membership of the alleged MPA of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly which was also reflection of the party’s commitment to curb corrupt practices from across the board.
He said he that it was necessary to tell the people that the government had presented a bill in the parliament for a constitutional amendment to ensure senate election through open balloting.
Expressing displeasure over the opposition’s attitude, he said the leaders of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) had repeatedly supported the idea of senate elections through open balloting but now when there was a time to turn those statements into reality, they started playing politics on the issue.
“The power of democracy does not come from any tank or arms, but it comes from the moral strength of the parliamentarians,” he added. He said the charter of democracy was signed by Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif in which it was clearly written that there should be no more senate elections through secret balloting.
The minister said the people won elections by utilizing the money that they had earned through wrong means and after winning election, they use their influence to earn more black money. Asad Umar said the government had right to get their due seats.
About opposition’s remarks that the government was worried about the senate elections, the minister termed such remarks as wrong observations recalling the time when the government succeeded to approve the bill about Financial Action Task Force (FATF) despite having majority members of opposition in the senate.
He said the politicians who were creating fuss over the amendment knew that if the amendment would be passed, their source of black money would be stopped.
Talking about the filing of a presidential reference to seek the Supreme Court’s opinion on open ballot in the Senate elections, Asad Umar said the time for the polls was approaching fast and the Apex Court had not yet reached a decision, that is why the government had decided to issue an ordinance but the top court would have the final decision.
He said interpreting the Constitution was the Supreme Court’s domain and whatever decision they take would be final and the government would accept it.
Responding to a question, Umar said that MPAs and MNAs were “free to cast their votes for whoever they wanted”, adding that the Constitution did not stop them from doing so.
“But if there is a basis for casting the vote [against your own party] that is unethical, we are talking about ending that.”
Speaking on the occasion, Senator Shibli Faraz said measures were being taken to ensure transparent Senate elections. Replying to media persons’ questions, Faraz said the government would not create hurdles in the way of the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) planned long march.
It was the PDM’s legal and constitutional right to hold a protest and it was staging rallies without any hindrance. Similarly, they were free to hold the long march.
Referring to the last sitting of National Assembly, he said after moving a constitutional amendment bill in the House on open voting, the government expected a debate on it and proposals from the opposition, but they created a ruckus.
He said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government wanted transparency in the Senate elections but it did not suit the opposition parties. Those from the middle class could not take part in the elections whereas on the other side those, who had piled up wealth by hook or by crook, entered the Upper House of Parliament by the power of wealth.
With the support of media and nation, the government wanted to eliminate the wealth factor from politics and polls, and it was a golden opportunity to do it, he added.
The minister urged the people not to pay heed to the non-sense propaganda by the opposition, which was claiming that the ordinance was promulgated to favour the PTI’s friends or that the PTI did not believe in loyalty of its legislators.
Transparency would ensure merit and parties would have loyal members, who would get elected on their tickets and that was the change, he added.
