The Senate of Pakistan has reelected the government backed Sadiq Sanjrani as Chairman Senate. His victory has, however, been challenged by Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), a coalition of 11 opposition parties. It is interesting to note that Sanjrani has defeated PDM candidate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani by six votes but the number of rejected votes exceeds the victory margin. A similar situation had arisen after the vote count for the general seat of Islamabad where the number of rejected votes had exceeded the victory margin of Gilani against his rival finance minister Dr Hafeez Sheikh. In a nutshell, the rejected votes have now favoured a government candidate. The secret ballot mode has successfully worked for both the government and opposition.

Maroof Khan (Islamabad)

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021