National News Desk
Islamabad: In the midst of political instability in Pakistan, the federal government agreed to hold a Senate election in February instead of March 2021. The polls are likely to result in the loss of seats for the opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), which is currently ruling the Upper House.
The decision was taken on Tuesday at a meeting of the Federal Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, reported Dawn.
Elections will be held for 52 seats in the 104-member Senate, as several members of the Upper House will retire on 11 March. The federal government has invoked the concept of early elections to alter the power structure of the Senate.
The Senate is officially under decisive influence of the constituent parties of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). Early elections would result in the loss of PDM seats.
The PDM unanimously agreed that its legislators would hand over resignations to their party chiefs by 31 December, and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) President Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that resignations by opposition legislators are a ‘atom bomb’ for the current government.
The decision to resign en masse by the PDM would stall the elections to the Senate. Resignations may result in an incomplete election of the electoral college to the Senate, which in turn may make the election of the Senate constitutionally unsustainable.
This in turn, would ease many of the current problems of the (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) PTI, such as the passage of legislation deemed relevant by the government but stuck in the Senate.
Dawn was told by a source that the idea for an early Senate election was put forward by Fawad Chaudhary, Minister of Science and Technology. The Government also invoked the advisory authority of the Supreme Court on free voting in the elections.
Generally, elections to the Senate take place by secret ballot, but Prime Minister Imran Khan decided to conduct the election by open ballot or by hand.
The Information Minister said that the government was mulled to get the bill ratified by a variety of means—either by constitutional amendment, executive order, or election commission.
After considering the matter, the government agreed to refer the matter to the supreme court, Dawn said.
Meanwhile the PDM called on the Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government to leave by January 31 or face escalated movements by opposition parties, such as the long march to Islamabad.