After much drama
\nSenate chairman, deputy chairman polls to be unconstitutional if they fail to represent all units of federation, says PTI
\nIslamabad
\nAfter seeking postponement of polls for Senate\u2019s top slots, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday decided to \u2018boycott\u2019 the major electoral event in the upper house of parliament \u2014 scheduled to be held tomorrow (Tuesday).
\nThe decision was taken by the former ruling party\u2019s core committee which also demanded to defer the forthcoming polls on the Senate\u2019s top slots. The Imran Khan-founded party said in its declaration that the said elections would be unconstitutional if it fail to represent all units of the federation.
\nPrior to this clarification, the former ruling party approached the Senate secretary with an application seeking deferment of the aforementioned polls. In its application, Senator Saifullah Niazi said that the actual number of Senate members was 96.
\nCurrently, the upper house is short of 11 members as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had postponed the KP Senate elections last week because of non-administration of oath to MPAs-elected on reserved seats.
\nIt further stated that the elections should not be held until Senate polls in KP were held. A unit of the federation should not be stripped of representation by depriving KP to participate in the Senate chairman and deputy chairman\u2019s polls, it added.
\nPTI senators\u2019 contradictory statements
\nInterestingly ahead of the party\u2019s core committee meeting, the PTI senators ruled out impression of boycotting the elections for the Upper House\u2019s chairman and deputy chairman earlier in the day.
\n\u201cWe are not boycotting the Senate chairman and deputy chairman\u2019s elections,\u201d Senator Dr Zarqa Suharwardy Taimur clarified in a statement after the Imran Khan-founded party requested to defer the polls until the conduct of elections on vacant Upper House seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
\nThe PTI will fully take part in the forthcoming polls and the party senators will finalise its strategy in a senators\u2019 meeting today. \u201cWe are part of this political process and we will participate in it.\u201d
\nSubsequently, Senator Saifullah Abro also said that the former ruling party did not take any decision to boycott the polls. He added that the final decision would be taken after the high court\u2019s verdict.
\nIHC\u2019s objection to PTI plea
\nThe PTI, which ruled the country from 2018 to 2022, also filed a constitutional petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) challenging the said elections, but the IHC raised objection to the plea saying that a similar matter was already subjudice before the Peshawar High Court (PHC).
\nThe plea was filed by PTI\u2019s five senators \u2014 Dr Zarqa, Saifullah Niazi, Saifullah Abro, Falak Naz Chitrali, Fawzia Arshad and Humayun Mohmand \u2014 seeking to stop the elections in the upper house. The objection was raised by the IHC Registrar Office saying that the case of KP\u2019s Senate seats was already subjudice in the PHC, therefore, the same court should be approached.
\nPresident summons joint session
\nPresident Asif Ali Zardari has summoned the session of the upper house of parliament on Tuesday (tomorrow) for the oath of newly-elected members and the election of Senate chairman and deputy chairman amid opposition by the PTI over the election of top slots due to an \u201cincomplete house\u201d, media reported Monday.
\nIn the Senate session, newly-elected senators will take oath and an election for the constitutional post of chairman Senate and deputy chairman Senate will be held.
\nThe presiding officer nominated by the prime minister will administer the oath to the newly-elected senators. Members elected in the by-elections of the Senate on vacant seats will also be administered the oath.
\nIn the house of 96 members, 85 senators will take oath as the elections on 11 seats of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were postponed by the top electoral body.
\nIt is noteworthy to mention here that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) nominated former prime minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani for the chairman Senate slot, however, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has not nominated anyone for the post of deputy chairman. The PML-N is mulling a woman lawmaker on the post and an announcement in this regard is expected today.
\nMeanwhile, PTI \u2014 the main opposition party \u2014 has not nominated its candidate for the post of chairman Senate to challenge the joint candidate of the ruling coalition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After much drama Senate chairman, deputy chairman polls to be unconstitutional if they fail to represent all units of federation, says PTI Islamabad After seeking postponement of polls for Senate\u2019s top slots, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday decided to \u2018boycott\u2019 the major electoral event in the upper house of parliament \u2014 scheduled to be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":288316,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-399427","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n