Unfair criticism

The ruling PML-N, its allies, sympathizers and hangers-on have reacted badly to the election of an independent candidate from Baluchistan Sadiq Sanjrani as Senate Chairman and PPP's Saleem Mandviwala as Deputy Chairman. Going by their fulminations, inside and outside the House, they lost because of meddling by 'anti-democracy forces' rather than the opposition parties using political possibilities to their advantage.
President of the National Party and Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping, Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo, bewailed in the house that the assemblies of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been turned into a market where votes are purchased. There is no proof of that happening in the present instance, but little doubt about that votes were bought during the mid-term Senate elections earlier this month. And the buyers included his senior coalition partner, the PML-N, which with just 16 seats in the KP assembly managed to grab two Senate seats, despite its ally JUI-F casting its 16 votes for the PPP candidates. He claimed "today I feel ashamed to sit here [Mir Sahib, of course, feels no shame in sitting on the side that has elected an absconder, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, as a member of the same house]. ... The face of Parliament has been blackened." His tirade ended on an advise to the "dominant institutions [read military]" and political parties to let democracy prevail, accusing them of acting against democracy, which according to his lights is symbolized by the PML-N 'Quaid', former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, ousted for financial wrongdoing and facing corruption references along with his family in a NAB accountability court.
It is hard to understand on what basis the PML-N and its supporters are crying foul. The facts on ground belie their claims. The party did not have majority in the upper house to ensure its success. The independent candidate from Balochistan for the office of chairman was supported by the PPP, PTI, Fata senators, and quite likely the JUI-F. He secured 57 votes against the PML-N and allies' candidate Raja Zafarul Haq who won only 46 votes. And for the post of deputy chairman PPP's Saleem Mandviwala, backed by the same informal alliance, received 54 votes against his opponent Usman Kakar's 44 votes. There is nothing extraordinary or undemocratic about the voting. All parties and groups acted out of political considerations. Those who lay part of the blame on PPP co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari for instigating rebellion, through horse-trading, against former Balochistan chief minister Sanaullah Zehri (who reportedly spent only two days a month in his province and the rest of the days having fun time in foreign environs), thereby contributing to the present outcome, conveniently ignore a vital detail. Even if the six independent (rebel) senators from Baluchistan were to be excluded, the opposition would have won. Without them, the candidate for the top office with 51 votes and the one for the second position with 48 votes would still be ahead of the ruling alliance contenders who bagged 46 and 44 votes, respectively.
It was made possible by an understanding between the two major opposition parties, the PPP and PTI, and some others who had their own reasons to vote the way they did. As per democratic norms, the two opposition parties could not be expected to allow the ruling party win. For the achievement of a common goal they needed to join hands even though there was no love lost between them. There are countless examples wherein parties standing poles apart on political issues entered into alliances on a single-point agenda. In the present instance, however, the PTI worked indirectly with the PPP, through a group of independent legislators from Balochistan, to attain a shared objective. The objectors either have a blind spot or an axe to grind or are ill-informed about democratic practices and processes.
As for the others players, although the JUI-F's position is rather vague, it is believed to have voted for the opposition candidates. The party chief, Maulana Fazlur Rahman seems to be hedging his bets. It needs to be recalled that the rebel legislators who delivered the coup de grace to the Nawaz League government in Balochistan included JUI-F members. At the time the Maulana, despite being a ruling party ally, had refused to intervene claiming it was a provincial matter. It is worth remembering also that during the March 3 Senate elections his party had voted for the PPP candidates. The JUI-F chief, a shrewd operator that he is, has his eyes on the upcoming general elections. His key rival in KP being the PTI, apparently, he thinks the PPP might improve its position in that province and also in Balochistan - the two provinces where his party has significant presence - which could be useful for his party in a changed political landscape. The Fata legislators have been disappointed - and loudly expressing it too - with the Nawaz League because of its foot dragging on the issue of Fata merger with KP. No surprise then if they went along with the opposition. Clearly, all those who voted for Sanjrani and Mandviwalla made that decision on the basis of their respective political interests. Hence the result should be celebrated as a victory of the democratic process rather than condemned by the losing side and its sympathizers.
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