–Sources say PPP backed off after Zardari was informed of plans to deprive him of provincial govt
ISLAMABAD: The joint opposition failed to dislodge Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani owing to an active intervention of the powers-that-be who wanted to keep a Baloch nationalist, Mir Hasil Bizenjo, out of the powerful post as well as thwart any potential move against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, according to well-informed sources.
“Upsetting the apple cart at the Upper House could have a domino effect in the eyes of the ruling party and its backers. According to this view, had the opposition succeeded in dislodging Sanjrani, it would have bayed for more blood by trying to dislodge the government in the National Assembly and possibly Punjab where the ruling coalition has a thin majority,” said sources privy to the development.
In a rude shock to the joint opposition on Thursday, the PTI and its allies were able to save Senate Chairman Sanjrani from ouster despite the opposition having a clear majority in the Upper House of Parliament.
The motion supported by 64 senators fell short of three votes in the final count when only 50 votes were found to be in the favour of the motion. A subsequent statement by opposition nominee Hasil Bizenjo accusing the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt General Faiz Hameed of intervening gave rise to further speculations.
Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Ahsan Iqbal were prime movers of this initiative, but no senator belonging to the opposition was properly consulted while strategizing the move, said sources, adding that Leader in House Raja Zafarul Haq was not on board either.
And Shehbaz Sharif, on the other hand, was also unenthusiastic about it.
According to sources, in a tit for tat maneuver, moves to form a forward bloc in the Sindh Assembly to dislodge the PPP government in Sindh were redoubled.
“Even some of the loyalists like the incarnated Sharjeel Memon and Agha Siraj Durrani were contacted, but it was the PPP co-chairperson who finally upset the apple cart,” according to reports.
Some sources claim that an ailing property tycoon who has deep ties with PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari was given the task of reading the riot act to him. The tycoon is presently very close to Imran Khan, advising him on his grand housing scheme.
According to some media reports, the tycoon met Zardari late night in a NAB office informing him of plans to deprive him of the Sindh government.
According to reports, seven PPP senators voted for Sanjrani while five PML-N senators also became turncoats. Two senators who voted for Sanjrani belonged to smaller parties, the reports added.
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