Shibli for ensuring transparency in Senate polls after SC’s opinion

PESHAWAR: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Senator Shibli Faraz here Monday terming the apex court’s opinion on Senate polls as historic said now the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was responsible to take all necessary measures to ensure transparency in the upcoming election.

Addressing a press-conference here, the Information Minister said ECP may use technology to end corrupt practices from electoral process to ensure free, fair and transparent elections. He said people had seen in the past that how political loyalties were traded during Senate election. The government, he said, had taken all possible measures to prevent sale and purchase of votes during upcoming senate election.

Shibli Faraz said Senate was highly respectable institution and it was necessary for upholding its sanctity to elect honest, upright and competent candidates who could serve masses irrespective of their personal interests.

There was a conflict between two ideologies, he said. The opposition’s ideology was to run the country through an obsolete corrupt system based on personal politics and gains. Whereas, the PTI he said, strongly believed in strengthening of the national institutions, rule of law and merit.

He said political hypocrisy was the hallmark of opposition’s politics and they had chosen a candidate for Senate election from Islamabad who in past had tried to protect its leader facing corruption charges. He (Yousaf Raza Gilani) did not write a letter to Swiss authorities despite the Supreme Court's instructions thus the country had to suffer millions of dollars' loss, the minster added.

To a question, he said there were serious differences among coalition parties of PDM on awarding Senate's ticket to Yousaf Raza Gilani and this would certainly benefit PTI’s candidate Hafeez Sheikh.

He said Hafeez Sheikh was an honest and highly respectable candidate and was all set to achieve overwhelming majority.

Shibli Faraz said Prime Minister Imran Khan had awarded party ticket to credible, honest and competent candidates and PTI's parliamentarians would vote them to acknowledge his (Imran Khan's) 22-year struggle against corruption and for strengthening democracy and supremacy of the rule of law.

To a question about Maryam Nawaz’s recent statement about long march, the Minister said all institutions were independent and no one was allowed to pressurize them.

The minister said opposition's double standards had exposed them before masses and that is why people have shown no interest in PDM’s public rallies.

Kamran Bangash, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Information and Public Relations alleged that ANP and PPP were trying to purchase votes and proofs would be made public after consultation with the party leadership.