Leader of the House in the Senate Jahangir Badr on Tuesday said backchannel contacts had been activated to evolve consensus for getting all four provincial assemblies and the National Assembly dissolved on a single date and to ensure simultaneous elections for national and four provincial assemblies.
“Backdoor diplomacy is underway for dissolution of the national and provincial assemblies on the same date. I can assure the House that there will be no deadlock in this regard. The PPP will uphold the constitution and there would be no delay in polls,” Badr said while responding to a point of order raised by Senator Mohsin Leghari.
Responding to Badr, Mir Hasil Bizenjo said while assemblies were working in all other provinces but not Balochistan.
He said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had started preparations for holding free, fair and transparent election, while Balochistan was still under governor’s rule.
Bizenjo said anyone could knock the court’s door for local bodies’ elections, as the provincial governments did not make legislation in this regard.
Earlier, Senator Leghari said a constitutional crisis was looming as the two-month provision of imposition of governor’s rule had been over, but the federal government neither summoned a joint session of parliament to provide legal cover to the governor’s rule nor had the provincial government in Balochistan been restored.
However, he expressed apprehension that how would it be possible to hold the forthcoming general election on a single day, since it was constitutional obligation that the provincial government be dissolved by the chief minister, while at present, Balochistan was being ruled by a governor.
“Besides, all provincial as well as federal assemblies’ tenure will expire on separate dates, so how will it be ensured that the general polls are held together?”
Leghari said the government was apparently not serious in holding elections and was using various tactics to delay the much-needed polls.
He added that court decisions could be presented as an example that administrators could not replace elected representatives, adding that they should not be worried for 2013 elections, rather it was the local bodies elections that were due in 2010 which were a matter of concern.
The members of Upper House also criticised the observations of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) about the authority of the head of state regarding its proposed electoral reforms for conduct of free, fair and transparent elections.
Senator Saeed Ghani of the PPP moved an adjournment motion against the statement by the ECP, which said the ECP had sole authority for framing laws for holding free, fair and transparent elections and that the approval by the president in this regard was a formality.
Ghani said the ECP was violating its constitutional limits under pressure from a section of the media. He said the ECP was taking decisions for which it had no power.
He said the sub-clause 3 of Article 218 stated that the ECP would take all necessary steps in accordance with the law to hold elections. However, all proposals framed by the ECP needed to be approved by the president and the ECP’s powers were not limitless.
He said the parliamentary committee on electoral reforms had worked hard to facilitate the ECP and the election commission delegation in the meeting with the committee had conceded that the proposal seeking thirty days’ period for scrutiny of the candidates needed constitutional amendment and was impossible as the term of the National Assembly was about to expire.
Ghani said like judges, ECP members could not interact with the media directly and could not meet politicians. He regretted that the parliament was being maligned for trying to protect criminals, dacoits and thieves but parliamentarians had remained silent.
Senator Jaffer Iqbal Gujjar of the PML-N partially agreed with Ghani, saying every institution should remain in constitutional ambit and should not violate their powers.
He expressed apprehension that the government, in guise of a standoff with the ECP, wanted to postpone the general elections, adding that there was nothing wrong if the ECP blocked the entrance of corrupt and looters into the august house.
Senator Kazim Khan said the role of media during the entire episode was quite strange, adding that Fakhruddin G Ebrahim was an honest person, however, he could not have the power to decide whether or not he or she was a burglar and crook. He said the Pholen Devi was once a dacoit, but she became member of parliament.
Abdul Haseeb Khan said it was mandatory for the ECP to hold elections on time so as the democratic process could continue. He said there was no need to discuss the steps being taken by the ECP as casting doubts over the ECP’s intentions may be counterproductive.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Q Secretary General Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed said President Asif Ali Zardari must be knighted for his courageous step of inking the historical gas pipeline project with Iran.
Speaking at a point of order, he said the president took a bold step to sign an Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline by setting aside external pressure and did not compromise on national interest.
Mushahid said it was a must to have a cordial relation with neighbouring countries based on respect and equality and it was the pre-requisite for an independent foreign policy.
PML-N’s Mushahiddullah Khan said the government neither took the opposition nor parliament on board while signing the IP project.
He said the interim government could not sustain the pressure even for five-days and it would have to say goodbye, adding that the election commission’s steps were hurting the tax evaders, theft and tax defaulters.
He said the PPP government should be ashamed of its involvement in targeted killings in Karachi.
On the other hand, the Senate was informed that the country suffered a loss of $69 billion in the war against terror.
Minister of State for Interior Imtiaz Safdar Warraich told the House during question hour that the economy of the country had been badly affected due to factors, including damage of buildings‚ compensation paid to victims of terrorism‚ settlement and rehabilitation of internally-displaced persons and security measures.
The Senate unanimously passed two bills as well.
“The Federal Ombudsmen Institutional reforms Bill‚ 2013″ provides for making institutional reforms for standardising and harmonising the laws relating to Federal Ombudsmen Institution.
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (Amendment) Bill‚ 2013 provides to amend the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan Act‚ 1997.