Days before the convening of a joint session of parliament that passed, among others, the bills through which the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) is allowed and overseas Pakistanis are given the right to voting, chief Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) Maulana Fazlur Rahman had been consistently claiming that smaller parties were being pressurized to attend the joint sitting of the Parliament, although he did not identify those exerting “pressure” on smaller parties. According to him, the government does not have a majority and the allies of PTI are not ready to support the incumbent government. That Maulana Fazlur Rahman is widely known for showing sharp powers of judgement is a fact; he’s also known for his political astuteness. Would the honourable Maulana like to admit the fact that his party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, which is represented in the National Assembly by, among others, his own son, Maulana Asad Mahmood, had succumbed to the “pressure” to attend the joint session on Wednesday?

Mehrin Khan (Islamabad)

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021