Sherry: New Senate ordinance is an “attack” on constitution

F.P. Report

KARACHI: Disagreement between Federal government and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) over Senate elections intensifies as Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman remarked that the federal government’s move to promulgate ordinance regarding the Senate elections is an attack on the constitution and the parliament on Sunday.

While underscoring latest amendment, she commented that the government does not have a two-thirds majority to pass a constitutional amendment and that is why it introduced the amendment overnight only one month before the Senate polls.

President Arif Alvi on Saturday signed the Elections (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 to pave the way for Senate elections to be held via an “open and identifiable ballot”. Acc-ording to the Ordinance, changes ha-ve been brought to Sections 81, 122 and 185 of the Elections Act, 2017.

Referring to the parliaments responsibilities she mentioned that it is the job of the parliament to bring about constitutional amendments, adding that the government should have taken the opposition’s viewpoints on board before issuing the ordinance.

On the other hand, Raza Rabbani also expressed his views commenting that the government did not consult political parties before drafting the amendment bill of the Senate elections.

While questioning governments intentions he commented that “The PTI-led government did not hold any dialogue with the opposition regarding the amendment and that the ordinance issued by the government in relation to the Senate election is based on “malicious intent.”

Rabbani also remarked that the government is making the Senate elections controversial, adding that “The law allows us to challenge this ordinance in court.”

He also commented that, “The cabinet is blind and it seems it cannot read the Constitution.”