- What is the PPP up to?
After twists and turns indicating a lack of clarity in its leadership over policy regarding the census and the elections, the PPP seems to have finally decided to wriggle out of the agreement on the Constitutional Amendment Bill. Early this month the PPP agreed to support it but soon after predicated its support on a prior accord in the CCI over reservations of the Sindh government regarding the census. The CCI meeting was called and it succeeded in breaking the deadlock. Sindh agreed to the elections on the basis of the provisional census data following assurances from the federal government that a third-party audit of certain population blocks would be conducted. The PPP however failed to seek clarification regarding who the third party would be as well as on the time frame for the audit. The party yet attended the National Assembly session where the amendment was passed with a two-thirds majority with the support of all parties including the PPP.
Soon after, the PPP started dragging feet over the bill in the Senate where it enjoys majority. For the third time in a row, the bill was on the agenda of the upper house on Wednesday, but there was no vote because not enough Senators were present. Meanwhile, Manzoor Wattoo has clarified that there was no way the PPP leadership would agree to facilitate the government in passing the new constituencies’ bill in the Senate!
In case the bill is not passed within days, the elections could be delayed or held on the basis of the last census conducted 19 years back. The PPP needs to abide by the CCI decision, get the bill through the Senate and raise the issue of the audit of selected blocs later. Unless it does so, it would be held responsible for the consequences arising out of delayed elections as well as for possible protests in KP and Balochistan against the loss of their seats if elections are held on the basis of an outdated population count. Whether Asif Zardari meets Nawaz Sharif or not, elections should be held on time on the basis of the latest census.
