ISLAMABAD, Feb 26: In what is being termed the first major blow to the erstwhile coalition led by Pakistan Muslim League-Q, six of its senators announced on Tuesday that they had formed a forward bloc and demanded separate seats in the upper house.

The senators — Ms Neelofar Bakhtiar, Wali Muhammad Badini, Chaudhry Zafar Iqbal and Amjad Abbas of the PML-Q, Israrullah Zehri of the BNP (Awami) and Asif Jatoi, son of former prime minister Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, of the NPP — claimed that they had the support of a few other senators as well who would join them at the time of submitting applications for separate seats in Senate.

The announcement came a day after the PML-Q had announced at a news conference that entire parliamentary group had reposed ‘full confidence’ in the leadership of party president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.

The former ruling coalition had a comfortable majority in the 100-member upper house with 58 senators.

When approached by Dawn for comments on the development, PML-Q secretary general Mushahid Hussain Sayed said: “Two of the forward bloc members -- Wali Muhammad Badini from Balochistan and Neelofar Bakhtiar -- were present in the PML-Q parliamentary party meeting while other four did not turn up.”

He said that in a democratic system everyone had the right to differ and form a forward bloc, adding that under the law the dissenting members might criticise their party and issue statements but they could not cast their votes against the party policy.

Talking to newsmen at the Islamabad Press Club, Ms Bakhtiar said that they did not call it a forward bloc, adding: “We only wish to bring democracy within our party and Pakistan and we will support all those organisations which want democracy promotion in the country.

“We want to play an effective role in Senate — we haven’t done this for money or privileges — I will do what is just and right and in the interest of Pakistan,” Ms Bakhtiar asserted.

Senator Wali Muhammad said: “We talk of independent judiciary — when Chaudhry (Shujaat) Sahib was the prime minister, two committees on Balochistan issue were constituted and Mushahid Hussain Syed held talks, but to no avail.”