PTI won’t boycott Senate chairman election: Zafar

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: PTI leader Senator Ali Zafar has dismissed the possibility of boycotting the upcoming election for the chairman and deputy chairman of the Senate.

Senior lawyer confirmed that while some party leaders had contemplated boycotting the Senate chairman election, the majority view within PTI does not support such a move. Zafar clarified that the decision regarding the Senate election has been left to the party members by PTI Founder Imran Khan.

“I personally believe that if we don’t become a part of the system, we will remain out of it,” he remarked, adding, “Whether the election is legal or illegal, we have to stay in the system.” Despite acknowledging the slim chances of PTI’s success in the chairman and deputy chairman election scheduled for April 9, Senator Ali Zafar asserted that PTI would participate symbolically. However, he revealed that the party has yet to decide on its candidates for these positions.

Furthermore, Senator Zafar highlighted that the PTI had yet to decide its nominations for the Senate chairmanship and deputy chairman, as well as for the opposition leader. He added that decisions regarding this role would be made in discussions with Imran Khan. Shifting focus, the senator addressed the issue of discussing the IHC judges’ letter in parliament, noting that while it could be done, the Constitution did not permit discussions on matters currently under trial.

He suggested that the National Assembly could provide guidance on this matter through a ruling. With Senator Ali Zafar’s remarks, PTI’s stance on the upcoming Senate election becomes clearer, signalling the party’s intention to actively participate in the democratic process despite the challenges it may face.
Meanwhile, the Sunni Ittehad Council has submitted an application to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) urging the halt of the upcoming election for the chairman and deputy chairman of the Senate.

The application, submitted by SIC head Sahibzada Hamid Raza, cites the incomplete electoral college of the Senate due to the absence of Upper House elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) as grounds for the request.

In the petition, Raza has implored the election commission to utilize its authority to suspend the election for the Senate chairman and deputy as it did in KP. With the election for the chairman and deputy chairman scheduled for April 9, the council asserts that the electoral college’s incompleteness poses a significant challenge to the legitimacy of the upcoming election.

Furthermore, the council has called upon the commission to promptly announce Senate elections for the 11 vacant seats in KP.