The ruling Pakistan People's Party on Saturday bagged 10 seats in the Senate elections from Sindh amid accusation of rigging from Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan chief. Media was barred from reporting the Senate polls held at the Sindh Assembly hall, which Election Commissioner Sindh, Muhammad Yousuf Khan Khattak justified as the provincial legislature's 'SOP'.
Journalists raised questions over the transparency of elections since media was forced to stay out of the assembly hall, but Khattak said that none of the polling agents of all contesting political parties has registered any complaint. He claimed polls were held in a transparent manner. The Provincial Election Commissioner announced the wining candidates for general slot including Imamuddin Shoukeen, Mian Raza Rabbani, Maula Bukhsh Chandio, Syed Muhammad Ali Shah Jamote and Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar of PPP, Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah of Pakistan Muslim League-Functional and Farogh Naseem of MQM-P.
Dr Sikandar Mandhro and Rukhsana Zuberi of PPP were declared triumphant on technocrats' seats. PPP's Quratulain Marri and Keshoo Bai succeeded on women's slot. PPP's Anwar Lal Deen elected to senate as minority representative. "Some 161 were the legal votes and all were cast," Khattak told newsmen outside the assembly building.
Farooq Sattar, head of MQM (PIB) group, blamed the PPP for 'horse trading', saying that 14 of his party's provincial legislators got 'defected' voting to other political parties' candidates in the senate polls. He termed the political situation for his party as 'tragic' and 'shocking'. He alleged the PPP for defecting his party's members to itself party for winning the senate polls.
He, however, exonerated himself and Khalid Maqbool Siddique, who spearheads, MQM (Bahadurabad) group from the senate defeats, saying that "we could win four of the slots if were united with 37 existing legislators in the Sindh Assembly". Vowing to bounce back, he urged the MQM workers and voters to retain the zeal for party and keep courage intact for political existence.
Farooq called the senate polls as "free market economy", which permits sales and purchase of legislators for election. He said the PPP made the members of Sindh Assembly as 'saleable commodity'. He called that horse trading trend as 'misfit' to existence of democracy in the country.
The MQM chief directly blamed Sindh Excise and Taxation Minister, Mukesh Kumar Chawla and PPP's Owais Shah for facilitating the defection of his party members. "This sales and purchase system should end," he said, calling it also "the worst ever horse trading", adding that "I condemn it".
Being angry and upset, he said the PPP created a 'pitfall' for itself. He also asked the Election Commission to take notice of the 'horse trading'. "The people party has rigged the election," he blamed, asking the defected members that infighting in MQM cannot be a pretext to vote to any other party.
"Pretext of infighting in unacceptable," he warned, saying "they [effected members] will have to answer". "I will not give up," he said, congratulating Farogh Naseem for becoming senator. He also acknowledged that MQM's organizational and political crisis cost them senate defeat but said that it was not the only factor.
Parliamentary Leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in the Sindh Assembly, Khurrum Sher Zaman Khan said any political party got more votes than its strength should be seen as 'horse trading'. He said that the PTI fulfill its commitment to cast vote to the PML-F's candidate, Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah. He said that there should be a system of show-off hands or preference to make polls transparent. He also called the horse trading as 'treason'.
Senior leader of Pakistan Sarzameen Party (PSP), Dr Sagheer Ahmed said that his party also supported the PML-F candidate, adding that the PSP has chosen those for support, who support the society and its development. He rejected the PPP's politics and slammed its pattern of governance. He also slammed the parties for making sales and purchase of votes in senate polls.
Sindh Information Minister, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah rejected the MQM's allegations, saying that it has developed into disintegration which cost them a defeat in polls. He urged the MQM for looking into its own faults rather than blaming the PPP. Rubina Qaimkhani, a PPP legislator cast her vote despite her son funeral was taking place, whom died in a road accident the other evening. Favourite contestants including PPP's Murtaza Wahab and MQM's Kamran Tisori also lost the polls.