PML-N's senior leader and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Thursday alleged that an attempt was being made to "rig" Friday's election for the Senate chairman and deputy chairman offices through state institutions, saying such practices were not good for the country.

Addressing a press conference alongside other PML-N leaders, Abbasi alleged that members of his party had "received calls" in which they were asked to vote in favour of PTI candidate Sadiq Sanjrani and against the joint opposition candidate Yousuf Raza Gilani in tomorrow's Senate chairman election. It is expected to be a neck-and-neck contest between the government and the opposition.

The former premier was accompanied by PML-N Senator Hafiz Abdul Karim, who claimed that he had received calls from two "persons of authority" who asked him to vote for the "state's candidate" — a reference to Sanjrani, the current Senate chairman — instead of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) candidate Gilani.

Earlier in the day, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz made a similar allegation. "Our senators are being called and asked not to vote for PDM candidate. Some of them have recorded the evidence," she tweeted.

While the PML-N leaders did not provide any names, Abbasi said Karim himself wished to inform the public about "what is happening in the country today ... ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) officers are calling senators."

"Names can also be taken here but it is not the purpose. We do not talk about one person. We talk about the idea that is being used in Pakistan today to rig this election," Abbasi added.

He said the PML-N desired the country to be run according to the Constitution. "The institutions whose purpose is to give the country stability, whose purpose is to follow the Constitution, if they start breaking the Constitution themselves, if they start breaking the law themselves, where will the country go? This is the question we want to put in front of the nation," he added.

He reiterated that although Karim had the names of the persons who allegedly called him, this was not the purpose of their press conference.

Abbasi said his party had welcomed the statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations director general, the head of the Pakistan Army's media wing, that the military "has no connection with politics", but said the conditions that had arisen in this year's Senate elections "not once, not twice, not thrice but tens of times" had shown the same was not being implemented.

"Hafiz Abdul Karim is one person, a lot of senators might have received [calls] but might have not told [about them]," he said.

"As long as the democratic process in the country is not in accordance with the Constitution, we will continue doing things such as those that happened with Hafiz Abdul Karim."

This would result in similar damage to the country's economy as could be seen these days, he said. "It is unfortunate that even after 73 years, in the 21st century, we are still doing things that no country in the world does."

Abbasi said there was "still time to hold tomorrow's Senate election as per the Constitution and the senators' choices".

The former prime minister said that change in the current system was only possible when people like Senator Karim came forward to talk about the pressure exerted on them.

Answering a question, Abbasi refused to name the persons who allegedly coerced the PML-N senators but said: "No soldier does this work on his own ... he follows orders. We don't want to be involved in that matter; we [only] identified the wrongdoing."

He added that the Senate chairperson's office was "made controversial" in the March 2018 elections, alleging that attempts were being made to make this election controversial as well.

'Requested' to support PTI candidate

Sharing details of the calls he allegedly received, Senator Karim said he only picked up the third call made to him on March 9. According to Karim, he was "requested" to support the PTI candidate.

The senator said he had told the caller that he supported party supremo Nawaz Sharif. He alleged that corruption investigations had been launched against him as soon as the schedule for the Senate elections was announced.

"My name was included in an old FIR (first information report) from 2016 that did not [originally] include my name only to pressurise [me] and get the vote of their choice."

Karim said he wanted to give those persons the message that they could "file as many cases as you want, pressurise all you want [but] as long as we are alive, we are standing with Nawaz Sharif."

The election for the Senate chairman and deputy chairman will be held through secret ballot on Friday (March 12).

The contest for the Senate chairman and deputy chairman seems to be tough for the government as the opposition enjoys a majority in the upper house of parliament. It is impossible for the government to win the polls unless some opposition members either vote for the government's candidates or waste their votes during the secret ballot.

Maryam 'threatened'

Meanwhile, in a video message, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif alleged that Maryam had been threatened that "she would be smashed if she does not retreat".

He did not specify who made the threats but went on to warn “those issuing threats in a God-like tone”, saying if somebody does something nefarious, he would hold Prime Minister Imran and the military’s top brass responsible.

"Everything you have done and continue to do is a grievous crime for which you will have to answer very soon," he added.