ISLAMABAD - Completely outsmarted by the Pakistan Peoples Party’s manoeuvring in the race for Senate top slots, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was left with no choice but to extend support to the opposition parties’ candidate Mian Raza Rabbani, paving the way for his unopposed election as Senate chairman.
Mian Raza Rabbani had emerged as a consensus candidate of opposition parties in the meeting held at the residence of PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari Monday night. The opposition parties had shown the support of around 50 senators for their nominated candidate, leaving a little room for Premier Sharif to manoeuver. Consequently, after having brief deliberations at a luncheon arranged in honour of political parties leadership at the Prime Minister’s House, the PM announced extending support to Raza Rabbani for the slot of Senate chairman.
He further mandated the opposition parties to also bring the candidate for the slot of Senate deputy chairman, and the government will extend full support.
After getting the government’s backing, Raza Rabbani said he would put in his best for supremacy of the parliament and would focus on legislative business in its true essence.
With proven track record of an ace parliamentarian, Rabbani said he would focus on legislative business to bring relief and solace to the public life and would take along all the political parties in running the business in upper house of the parliament in an effective and efficient manner. He also thanked all the parliamentary parties for reposing confidence in him and pledged to come up to their expectations.
In another encouraging development in this connection, PTI Chairman Imran Khan has given tacit approval to the candidature of Mian Raza Rabbani for the slot of chairman Senate, terming him an upright person and a good choice.
Insiders in the ruling PML-N said that in the spirit of Charter of Democracy signed between the PPP and the PML-N as well as the policy of politics of reconciliation and consensus, the PPP co-chairman wanted to have the deputy chairman of Senate from ruling alliance from Balochistan for which PPP leaders were tasked to enter into negotiations with PkMAP chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai and hopefully the announcement in this connection would be made today (Wednesday).
Sources aware of last couple of days’ developments and consultations going on between main political players informed The Nation that key role in evolving consensus on the candidature of Raza Rabbani was played by ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan who had floated his name in the meeting of the opposition parties held at PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s residence on Monday night and also convinced Premier Nawaz Sharif to make him (Rabbani) a consensus candidate.
Sources aware of the deliberations of the meeting held at Prime Minister’s House said it was also consensus decision to annul the controversial presidential ordinance brought hours before the Senate polling on March 5 to change the election mode for the Fata senators. It was further decided that the matter would be referred to the Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms to make it part of the comprehensive electoral reforms package.
Sources further said that ANP President Asfandyar Wali held one-on-one meeting with PM Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday ahead of luncheon and convinced him not to bring his candidate for the slot of chairman. He also took him into confidence how Raza Rabbani was nominated as consensus candidate by the opposition parties at Zardari House with the backing of over 50 senators.
Anticipating the swing of majority of senators behind the opposition parties’ nominated candidate, Prime Minister Sharif was left with a little room to play, and on the advice of Asfandyar Wali and Maulana Fazlur Rehman he had made up his mind to extend support to Rabbani to make it a win-win position for all.
JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl also held a one-on-one meeting with the prime minister before the larger meeting at PM House and assured him support for government’s candidates for top Senate slots but with some conditions. However at the same time, he advised him (the PM) to support Mian Raza Rabbani instead of landing in the arena against the well-worked out strategy of the opposition parties.
In the light of these discussions and in-house consultations with close aides, the prime minister decided to extend support to opposition parties’ candidate Raza Rabbani who has impeccable reputation as a parliamentarian and democrat.
In his opening remarks at luncheon meeting, arranged in honour of political leaders, the prime minister said that the PML-N had initiated the process of broad-based consultation for evolving a consensus on the national issues which had yielded positive results and opening new political traditions.
The PM heartily welcomed the nomination of the opposition and said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) would not nominate its own candidate for either chairman or deputy chairman.
The PM went on to say that the government wanted a unanimous decision and had consulted all parties and taken decisions based on national interest.
He regretted that PPP co-chairperson held a consultative meeting of the political parties last night to nominate a consensus candidate but it might have been better that he also invited him to participate in the meeting. However, he said, now when the political parties had reached consensus on the name of Raza Rabbani his party also endorsed his name to promote culture of consensus.
He said the present government had launched this initiative during the last one and half years and arranged meetings of the political leadership for evolving a national consensus on all important issues.
He said new democratic traditions had been set by the government and this process would continue to move forward the democratic process and the country. He said this consultation process would be helpful in forging unity among the political leadership to resolve the issues.
The prime minister said the government along with other political parties made serious and successful efforts to overcome horse-trading and blocked the way of money game in the political process.
He said the country could not afford any more confrontations. The PM said that the positive change that was about to come should be long-lasting. He urged the stakeholders to sit together and discuss matters which were important for the progress of the country. The government wanted to put an end to politics of money in the Senate elections, he added.
The leaders of PML-N, PPP, ANP, MQM, JUI-F, PkMAP and NP attended the meeting. However, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and PML-Q stayed away from the luncheon meeting of Premier Sharif.