PTI decides to 'boycott' Senate chairman, deputy chairman elections

Declaring elections for the seats of chairman and deputy chairman Senate as ‘unconstitutional’, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has said that it will boycott these elections, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Monday.

Sources in the PTI’s core committee told 24News that the party had now decided that it would move a court against these elections.

Sources disclosed that it was an opinion in the party that since the House of federation was incomplete due to the postponement of Senate elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP); therefore elections for these coveted seats were not constitutional.  

They further said that the PTI leaders were of the view that the upper House of the parliament was presently not functional due to the absence of its chairman, and the Senate Secretariat could not take any decision other than administrative ones.

Without its chairman, the sources added, the Senate had the status only of a department.

They disclosed that the PTI leadership wanted those responsible for making the Senate dysfunctional tried for violating the constitution.

PPP enlists other parties’ support for its candidate

On the other hand, members of the special committee constituted by the PPP for election for the seat of Senate chairman have started reaching out to other political parties to enlist their support for the party’s candidate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani.

In this connection, PPP leaders Syed Naveed Qamar and Sherry Rehman have held a meeting with Gilani and chalked out a strategy to ensure his success in the election.

Later speaking to the media, Sherry said that Gilani enjoyed the support of a majority of senators, and tomorrow the PPP would demonstrate it before everyone.

“Tomorrow, the party workers will celebrate the win of a jiyala in the election,” she claimed.

Reporters: Tayyab Saif, Hassan Ali and Aajiz Jamali