ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Thu­rsday saw the PTI continuing with its policy of targeting the Election Com­mission of Pakistan, this time over issuance of poll schedule for a Senate seat from Sindh before it was officially notified as vacant by the secretariat of the upper house of parliament.

PTI leader Azam Khan Swati, while raising the issue, termed the ECP ‘more loyal than the king’ and said that ECP’s act of issuing a schedule for election on a seat that fell vacant owing to death of PPP’s Dr Sikandar Mandhro, was “highly condemnable”.

He talked about decorum and traditions of the house and said the schedule should have been issued after a notification as per procedure.

“We must get rid of such an election commission and seek resignation from all of them (CEC and ECP members),” he said.

It is worth noting that Mr Swati was one of two ministers who tendered written apologies before the comm­e­n­cement of contempt proceedings aga­i­nst them, triggered by his tirade agai­nst the ECP during PTI’s days in power.

Former prime minister and PPP leader Senator Yousaf Raza Gilani crit­icised the trend of blaming institutions and said Mr Mandhro was a PPP senator and no one should try to take advantage of the matter. “If there is a concern, it does not mean you start criticising institutions.” He noted that the Senate secretariat could always communicate with the ECP. “Playing to the galleries is inappropriate,” he said.

Referring to PTI’s claims about an international conspiracy, he chided the party for its frequent criticism of judiciary, ECP and the establishment.

Leader of the Opposition in Senate Dr Shahzad Waseem regretted that a point raised in good faith had been used to take the debate in another direction.

He insisted that a conspiracy had been hatched to throw the PTI out of power, and recalled that PPP’s attempts to convert majority into minority in 1971 had led to disintegration of the country.

“This issue cannot be swept under the carpet,” he said, adding that there was still time for course correction.

He asked the ruling coalition to stop trying to convert PTI into a minority party, and hold general elections immediately.

Senator Rubina Khalid of the PPP also slammed Mr Swati for his fresh tirade against the ECP and said the point could have been raised without making any fuss.

Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani directed the Senate secretary to write to the ECP conveying sentiments of the house. He said the ECP should be asked to postpone the election and issue a new schedule after a notification was issued by the Senate secretariat.

Published in Dawn,June 17th, 2022