Leader of the opposition in the Senate Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan on Tuesday demanded to initiate a debate in the upper house before Senate elections, saying the credibility of provincial assemblies have been questionable after political parties alleged widespread rigging in the 20013 general elections.
Speaking on a point of order, he said the electoral colleges of provincial assemblies have become controversial due to alleged rigging in 2013 elections which must be debated in the Senate as these assemblies were going to elect senators to the upper house next month. Aitzaz who opposed Imran Khan's demand to remove Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from the office but supported his stance on rigging, said the way things of massive rigging in NA-122 are come to the fore, it has become inevitable to initiate a debate over the legitimacy of the 2013 elections.
"The debate on the 2013 elections has become very important as some people will join us by contesting elections from these assemblies, which have become controversial, in the upcoming Senate elections to be held in March," he maintained. Aitzaz also demanded a debate over what he called artificial shortage of petrol in the country last month, saying it was wilfully created by the government to pocket some money. "When POL prices were decreasing in the international market, it made a plan to create an artificial shortage due to which the masses suffered."
He said the government increased the GST to 27 percent, while prices in the international oil market came down from $105-110 to $45-46 per barrel, but the government did not pass on the benefit of decrease in POL prices to the common man and instead created an artificial shortage.
He also lambasted Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi for contradictory statements during a briefing to a parliamentary panel, saying he first said that there was 30 percent shortage while now he has taken the shortage up to 50 percent. "There should be a debate on the petrol shortage as the minister (Khaqan Abbasi) made the people of Pakistan a beggar which is not acceptable and we want to know the real reason behind all this mess," he lamented.
Raja Zafar ul Haq, leader of the house in the Senate, said the government had no objection on any kind of debate over the POL crisis, saying everything will be cleared why the country faced the shortage.
He claimed that all the 12 members of GB interim cabinet have fielded their relatives, and there is no hope of neutral government in the upcoming elections. "The total strength of the GB assembly is 33 while the strength of interim cabinet is of 12 members, while the PML-N government is likely to give a clean chit to impose their cronies through rigging," he maintained.
Senator Colonel (Retd) Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) demanded to impose state of emergency in Sindh and warned any further delay to stop custodial killing and genocide of Shia Muslims will create former East Pakistan like situation in Sindh. He deplored the prime minister for not visiting Shikarpur after over 60 people were killed in a suicide blast while he was in Karachi. He said that Karachi has become a safe haven for terrorists who do not spare any Shia and any doctor but the prime minister was enjoying the food.