News
Saturday, January 07, 2012
PPP, allies decide to hold early polls* Agree on holding Senate elections in February
* Coalition partners fail to settle differences between MQM, ANP over new provinces’ issue
By Tanveer Ahmed
ISLAMABAD: The ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and its coalition partners on Friday decided to hold the Senate elections in mid-February as well as the general elections in the last quarter of this year.
The significant political development also gained strength from the move of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, who sent a message to the Chief Election Commission (CEC) to get prepared for holding of the Senate elections in February, earlier from its schedule in March. The prime minister also asked the CEC to give the schedule for the next Senate elections soon so that the elections could be held in February, Daily Times learnt on Friday.
The PPP took on board all its allies on the decision, which was taken by its core committee on holding of the Senate elections earlier as well as general elections after the federal budget in October this year.
The meeting of coalitions partners was chaired by President Asif Ali Zardari, who is also PPP Co-Chairman, at the Presidency and was attended by PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, ANP chief Asfandyar Wali and Senator Haji Muhammad Adeel, Senator Mir Israrullah Zehri of the Balochistan National Party (Awami), Dr Farooq Sattar and Senator Babar Khan Ghauri of the MQM, Munir Khan Orakzai, Noorul Haq Qadri from FATA, Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, Senator Dr Babar Awan, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Mehreen Anwar Raja of the PPP and spokesperson to the President, Farhatullah Babar.
A brief statement from the Presidency only mentioned that the meeting discussed the current political situation.
According to a participant of the meeting, President Zardari asked the coalition partners to maintain unity in their ranks to contest the Senate elections and said that all decisions would be taken collectively.
The meeting of coalitions partners, however, could not find a way out to overcome the differences between the MQM and the ANP on the issue of new provinces as both the parties stuck to their guns.
Sources said that the meeting decided that bill would be moved in parliament when a consensus would be achieved between the coalition partners.
Talking to Daily Times, Senator Haji Adeel Khan, however, didn’t clearly spoke on the issue of new provinces, saying when the issue had not been taken up then what to talk about it.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk