ISLAMABAD, Feb 06 (DNA): Pakistan people’s Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto
Zardari Saturday criticised the government for preparing a Presidential
Ordinance for holding the Senate elections through open balloting.

In a statement here Saturday, the PPP Chairman has said that the
government has got nervous due to the pressure asserted by the Pakistan
Democratic Movement (PDM).

He questioned that when the said issue was already in the Supreme Court
for advice then why the government was in a hurry to bring the
ordinance?

The PPP chairman said that Imran Khan making the Senate election
disputed. “The government wants to rig the election by using every
trick,” Bilawal alleged.

“The government has adopted undemocratic attitude over the matter,” he
claimed. “They brought the matter to the parliament when a presidential
reference was already under the hearing of the Supreme Court,” PPP
leader said.

The PPP chairman said this was the first step being taken by the
government to make the Supreme Court of Pakistan controversial and an
attempt to bring the highest court of the country under pressure. He
said the government has never shown seriousness in engaging any
political party in a serious dialogue regarding the issue.

“If they want to exert pressure over the supreme court (on the matter),”
Bilawal Bhutto questioned. “It is the right of the Parliament to
legislate about election as it is the place to introduce electoral
reforms,” PPP chairman said.

Bilawal said by taking this step the government has shown that his own
parliamentarians are not trustworthy as Prime Minister Imran Khan is not
satisfied with his numbers for the Senate and he wanted to keep his
members under pressure.

He said the PTI’s attempt to rig the Senate elections is bound to fail
and the government is trying to make the institutions as well as the
Senate elections controversial for its own gains. He said all the
parties in the PDM would jointly contest the Senate elections to resist
the government.

He said only the parliament has a right to bring an amendment in the
constitution while the government staged attacks on the senior members
in the National Assembly. Bilawal said to protest is the constitutional
right of the opposition and the opposition is using its constitutional
right to bring the government under public pressure through using its
right.

He said there are different ways to throw out the government and one
option is to bring it under the public pressure and the send one is to
remove the government with a no-confidence motion through the
parliament. He said the Pakistan People’s Party has a clear stance that
2018 elections were rigged.

Bilawal said all the members of the parties in PDM had submitted their
resignations to their party leadership before the December 31 deadline
and the option of resignations is still under consideration in the among
the PDM parties. He said the PDM has decided to contest the Senate
elections after thorough deliberation on the issue. He said the PDM will
hold a march of March 26 against the inflation in the country and dubbed
it as ‘Mehngai March’.

He said the government is getting nervous and that’s why it has decided
to bring the Ordinance even as the issue is in the Supreme Court.
Bilawal said PPP has always resisted against bringing amendment in the
1973 constitution. He alleged that the government wanted to scrap the
NAFC Award and Benazir Income Support Programme. He said PDM is on a
mission to oust the establishment from the politics and save the system.

“The government should have demonstrate seriousness over the matter with
dialogue to create a consensus over the issue,” Bilawal said.

=======