PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday vowed to take action against opposition senators who defied party policy and voted against a no-confidence motion that was moved by the opposition against Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani.
"We will look into our party to see which of [our members] came under pressure or sold their conscience," a visibly angry Bilawal told reporters.
"Some petty senators stabbed their parties in the back, we will take them to task," he said.
The PPP chairperson was speaking to the media after a meeting with opposition leaders that was held hours after Sanjrani shockingly survived a no-confidence motion even though government senators did not have a majority. Mere hours before the final result, the resolution to move a no-confidence vote against Sanjrani had been passed comfortably by opposition senators, with 64 voting in its favour.
Needing only 53 of the 64 senators' votes to send Sanjrani packing, the opposition instead fell three short when the results of the secret ballot were announced.
Bilawal, in his press talk, was flanked by PPP Senator Sherry Rehman, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, Ahsan Iqbal, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Raja Zafarul Haq among others.
He said that though its no-confidence motion had been thwarted in the Senate, the joint opposition will "not let the puppet government off the hook".
"They (government) should not think that we, the joint opposition will let them off the hook ... We are calling an All Parties Conference, we will fight this battle in the Senate, we will introduce reforms to ensure transparent Senate elections, we will look at the Rules and we will oppose this Senate chairman," Bilawal said.
"If this puppet government thinks it can establish its rule by rigging and stealing, that would not be the case."
He further said that the opposition had "won even in defeat because we exposed these puppet senators and Senate chairman".
Bilawal also lauded Senator Hasil Bizenjo — who had been named by the joint opposition as a candidate for Senate chairman's position — for "fighting the way he did".
PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif Sharif also addressed the press and said that the joint opposition will work to "identify those who sold their conscience". He said that the opposition will lay out a roadmap after an all-party conference.
It is pertinent to mention that PPP was one of the major supporters of Sanjrani's election as Senate chairman during the upper house's polls that were held last year. Many observers credited PPP co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari for playing a role in Sanjrani's victory.
Maryam Nawaz says;-She has accused the government of causing defections in opposition camp through intimidation to foil no-confidence motion against Senate chairman Sadiq Sanjrani.The PMLN leader sent out a tweet after the opposition alliance of PPP, PMLN, ANP, JUI and other parties faced shocking defeat in the Upper House of the Parliament where Sanjrani survived the motion that sought his removal. "It is a shameful act which can't work every time," she said urging the opposition to snatch their rights"Until when the Selected will survive," said the PMLN vice president.She called for the no-confidence motion to be tabled again.
Shibli Faraz;- Following opposition’s shocking defeat in the upper house of Parliament, Leader of the House in Senate Shibli Faraz has said that JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman used other parties for his vested political interests and to avoid accountability.
“Despite having not enough representation in Parliament, he [Maulana Fazlur Rehman] used this no-confidence motion for his petty political interests… it is regretful that other major parties were used,” he said in a media talk Thursday.
The opposition, which required 53 of the 64 senators’ votes to send Sanjrani packing, fell three short when the results of the secret ballot were announced.
The final vote count was 50 votes in favour of the motion, five votes rejected, and 45 cast against.
The PTI senator said the no-trust motion bid was against the sanctity of the institution.
Terming the poll transparent, Faraz said the victory margin for Sanjrani would’ve been huge had horse-trading taken place.
“The election was held according to the law, and those who voted against their party cannot be labelled as sell-outs,” he said, adding that disagreement with party policy could be the reason for their ‘betrayal’.
Shibli said Sanjrani’s victory was a victory of the upper house, and offered an olive branch to the opposition by urging them to set aside differences and work with the treasury benches for legislation in the public interest.
