And the complications involved therein
Realpolitik, more than anything else, will determine various parties’ stand in the ongoing debate over the mode of Senate elections. The PTI and PML-N think that they stand to lose in case the Senators are chosen through secret ballot. The PPP and JUI-F hope to gain more seats if the old system continues to function.
The issue of certain candidates buying their way to the Senate has been raised by the media during several elections. But none of the parties that have made an issue this time around took any notice before. Since they were not affected by horse trading, they closed their eyes to it. Two families from Balochistan and KP are again trying to woo the MPAs by offering money. A lot more than just buying of votes is, however, involved in the ongoing dispute. Both Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan are intolerant of dissidence. Both want to ensure the blind loyalty of their respective legislators through the threat of disqualification.
In KP the PTI dissidents are unhappy over the award of tickets to newcomers and super rich instead of party loyalists who had rendered sacrifices. There are also differences over the functioning of the PTI government. In Punjab there is resentment among the PML-N MPAs over the award of tickets to outsiders from KP and Sindh. Another grievance relates to ignoring the South Punjab in the nominations. Money may not thus be playing a major role in dissidence.
The secret ballot suits the PPP, ANP and JUI-F who have put up candidates despite inadequate support in the hope that some of the dissidents from PML-N and PTI might vote for their candidates. With JUI-F joining hands with the PPP-MQM alliance, they hope to win the offices of the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Senate. On Friday Nawaz Sharif failed to work out a plan to accommodate the interests of the supporters of secret ballot. If he can do so on Saturday, the standoff will be defused. If not, it will continue.