To the rude shock of many, several opposition senators who voted for Sadiq Sanjraniare still not on radar at a time when the opposition is busy in looking for black sheep in its rank and file.
It has learnt on good authority that PPP topped in defection followed by PML-N and another allied party. As many as seven PPP senators voted for Sanjrani. Included among them are two notables known for good connections at the right place. A senior PPP leader was also in contact with powerful officials and has rescued the government hoping the favor will be reciprocated. There is no prize on guessing that all PPP senators who formed part of “save Sanjrani” operation were elected from Sindh. Two of them are prominent individuals. An investigation into how Salim Mandviwala survived the no-confidence motion will resolve some riddles.
As far as PML-N is concerned, five of its senators voted against the party line. Included among them were three females; one was from Lahore. A PML-N senator from Rawalpindi Division was also among the defectors. Sources privy to the situation say that a senior PML-N leader had a telephonic exchanges with an influential individual a couple of days ago. Whether defections in party ranks occurred with his consent remains unconfirmed.
The government was not optimistic about the victory of Sanjrani until two days ago and then things started changing. The parliamentary opposition was as much confident and laughed off speculations that work on defection was on progress and positively. “Your goose is cooked,” a treasury senator told Senator Musadiq Malik of PML-N on Thursday. I was out-rightly dismissive. Then the unthinkable happened; Musadiq said the opposition must resign in protest on this.
Things started changing from Wednesday onwards and became consequential Thursday morning when a very influential senator from the opposition contacted a few senators considered close to the leadership and informed them about the meeting of a tycoon with a leader in detention that occurred between 12:30am to 1:45pm and the message that was passed on. Caught in disbelief, the senators reconfirmed about the meeting. However, there was no message passed on about who to vote. It was later conveyed through another and equally important party leader to the senators who the leader trusted. And that support turned the table.
Mir Hasil Bizenjo's remarks about the head of a national institution are baseless, said Director-General (DG) Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor Friday.The Pakistan Army’s spokesperson was reacting to the allegation of the united opposition’s candidate for Senate Chairman Mir Hasil Bizenjo that he leveled after the Senate session concluded on Thursday.
“Remarks by Senator Mir Hasil Bizenjo implicating head of national premier institution are unfounded,” said army’s spokesman in a tweet in Friday’s wee hours. “The tendency to bring entire democratic process into disrepute for petty political gains doesn’t serve democracy.”
The opposition had submitted Thursday a no-confidence motion against the sitting Senate chairman, in a bid to give a political setback to the federal government as part of their efforts to topple it.
But, the no-trust movement couldn’t succeed as only 50 votes were balloted in its favour, three short of the requisite number in a 105-strong house. And, Sadiq Sanjrani survived the vote.
The opposition termed the failure of the no-confidence motion as 'horse trading' and 'an attack on democracy'.
