PPP, PML-N accuse each other of ‘foul play’

ISLAMABAD: The no-trust vote fiasco in the Senate has caused serious distrust between the two main opposition parties, with leaders from both Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim Leaguenawaz (PML-N) suspecting each other of foul play.

In their private conversations, the leaders of the two parties have been found accusing each other of playing a “dirty game” during the secret vote on the no-confidence motion against Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani in which the opposition faced a defeat due to defection of its 14 legislators.

Pm l-n lea der k ha waja as if and pp p’ s parliamentary leader in the Senate Sherry Rehman even made their“dist rust” public by issuing statements accusing each other of damaging the opposition’s unity.

Yet the two parties have a unanimous view that there is a need for changing the rules regarding no-trust resolution against Senate chairman or deputy chairman, as PPP chairman Bilawal at a press conference in Lahore announced that the party would seek amendments to the parliamentary rules and constitution to do away with the requirement of “secret ballot” during votes in the parliament. He also expressed the hope that the ruling Pakistan Tehrik-e-insaf (PTI) would back it as it was part of its manifesto.

Though both the parties have formed their factfinding commitees to identify the defectors and suggest a punitive action against them, background interviews with the members of the commitees revealed that they had “very litle hope” for success.

The pp p’ s com mi tee has convened its first meeting on aug .6 in islamabad. an official announcement by the PPP says that the “fact-finding commitee” will meet on Tuesday in Islamabad to “begin investigations to know who among party senators defected in the secret ballot in the last week no-confidence move against the Senate chairman.”

Former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gillani is the convener oft hep pp com mi tee, having representation from all the provinces with no siting senator in it.

A commitee member said they would discuss their terms of reference (TOR) and finalise a methodology to probe the mater that had brought embarrassment to the joint opposition.

The mistrust between the two parties had been there since the day they had submited the no-trust motion against Sanjrani last week. In one of the meetings, a PML-N senator sought a clarification from the PPP leaders over a reported meeting between former president Asif Zardari, who is in NAB custody, and a top property tycoon a night before the voting to discuss as to how the move could be thwarted. The PPP leaders, however, categorically refuted these reports.