Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday announced that the government is ready to back Pakistan People’s Party (PPP-P) candidate Raza Rabbani as Senate Chairman.
During a pre-luncheon press conference at the Prime Minister House on Tuesday, the PM heartily welcomed the nomination of the opposition and said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) will not nominate its own candidate for either Chairman or Deputy Chairman.
The PM went on to say that the government wanted a unanimous decision and has consulted all parties and taken decisions based on national interest.
He regretted that PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari held a consultative meeting of the political parties last night to nominate a consensus candidate and that it would have been better if he (PM Nawaz) had also been invited. He added that, however, now that the political parties have reached a consensus on Raza Rabbani, his party also endorses his name to promote culture of consensus.
The PM further said that he also sent a message to Zardari to progress on the process of mutual consultation on the issue of the election of the Chairman and deputy chairman but did not receive any feedback.
He also said that new democratic traditions have been set by the government and this process will continue to move forward the democratic process and the country in positive directions.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif hosted a luncheon at the Prime Minister House for the heads of all political parties today. The meeting saw further consultations relating to the election of Senate Chairman and Deputy. The luncheon meeting comes as politicking was in full swing to elect a Chairman and Deputy Chairman for the Upper House of Parliament.
Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) leaders Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, as well as Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Sirajul Haq did not attend the luncheon.
Late on Monday, leaders of the opposition PPP – the largest party in the Senate with 27 members – announced that it had succeeded in convincing the Awami National Party (ANP), the PML-Q and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) to support their candidate, Senator Raza Rabbani, for the Chairman Senate slot.
ANP chief Asfandyar Wali claimed he had the further support of four Senators from FATA to back Rabbani’s candidacy for chairman Senate. With the backing of the opposition Senators, the PPP candidate is expected to get at least 47 votes in the election. A candidate requires at least 48 votes to be elected as Chairman in Parliament’s Upper House. The ruling PML-N was making last ditch efforts late Monday night in a bid to garner support for their candidate, which it has yet to announce. The PML-N emerged the top party in last week’s Senate elections, but fell just one short of the PPP’s 27 seats. PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique held meetings with MQM leaders twice on Monday, urging the party to reconsider their decision to back the PPP candidate.
Source: http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-177734-Govt-backs-Raza-Rabbanis-nomina...
