–Only unity among Opp ranks can send Senate chairman packing, says report
–Senate deputy chairman says it would be embarrassing for the House
In what appears to be cracks among the joint opposition alliance, senators belonging to the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have failed to agree on backing a move to oust Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani.
According to a report that quotes the senators from both parties, the PML-N leaders refused to be a part of the move, whereas the PPP leadership also advised against the no-confidence motion.
Speaking to a local media outlet, Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla said the removal of the chairman through this motion would cause great embarrassment for the Senate.
This move comes amid reports of a recent meeting between Sadiq Sanjrani and former president Asif Ali Zardari –who spearheaded the move to get Sanjrani elected. The content of the meeting wasn’t made public, except that Sanjrani had sought Zardari’s help in the wake of the likely vote.
Reporting about his removal started emerging in January this year when Mandiwalla said that a no-trust motion against Sanjrani would be possible if PPP, PML-N, National Party (NP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) took a collective decision.
However, in the face of such a decision, it remains to be seen if party leaders can get on the same page concerning his removal, then removing the chairman would be a cake walk.
UNITY NEEDED TO OUST CHAIRMAN:
The opposition alliance has 46 senators in the House, whereas the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has only 14 members. The PTI’s ally in Sindh and Centre, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan has five seats.
The independents form another majority, with 29 members in the House.
The Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and Jamaat-e-Islami have two members each, while the Awami National Party, Balochistan Awami Party and PML-Functional have one member each.
As per Senate rules, the motion concerning the removal of the chairman should be endorsed by 1/4th members of the House, while a majority [at least 53 members] of the total membership of the Senate would be required to outvote the chairman.
Voting on the resolution shall be by secret ballot which shall be held in such manner as the presiding officer may direct