Opposition is a big hurdle in carrying out "transparent" Senate polls, says PM

(Karachi) Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that the opposition itself is a big hurdle in carrying out "transparent" Senate polls, local media reported.

Addressing a meeting of the government spokespersons in Islamabad on Monday, Imran said that the The PM maintained that opposing the open ballot for Senate polls clearly indicate that the opposition want to steal Senate elections through horsetrading.

He said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People Party (PPP) had agreed upon holding Senate polls through the open ballot in the Charter of Democracy (CoD), local media reported.

Regarding action against the land mafia, he said that PML-N has issues with the drive against the mafia who had occupied the state-owned land in the past. "It is clear that the land mafia is the ATM of the opposition leaders," he added.

The premier said that the PTI has submitted a complete record of its donor in the Election Commission of Pakistan in the foreign funding case. "PTI has not received funds from any other government or from any NGO."

He said that PML-N founder Nawaz Sharif and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman have been receiving foreign funding.

Earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced his decision to hold early Senate elections as currently, the Senate is decisively controlled by the constituent parties of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

The move by the federal government aims to change the power structure in the Senate. However, the opposition parties decided to oppose the constitutional amendment being introduced by the government to hold Senate polls through open ballot.