Staff Reporter
The PTI-led governments at the centre and the Punjab province have started doling out funds to its parliamentarians to drum up maximum support as preparations for the Senate elections has got momentum.
According to officials sources, the government has released Rs850 million for 294 development schemes in Faisalabad. These officials informed that a member of the Punjab Assembly will initiate 60 percent development schemes in their constituencies while the MNA would announce remaining forty percent development schemes in their constituencies. The Senate elections are likely to be held late in February or early March as half of the Senators would retire in March upon completion of six-year tenure. The ruling party PTI is expected to win 20 to 22 seats that would help them take hold of the Upper House of the parliament as well and would pave way for them to pass legislation. The Senate polls in Pakistan are notorious for horse-trading and vote-buying and the government this time has moved the Supreme Court seeking guidance on its plans to hold the elections through open balloting through a presidential reference. The move of open balloting for Senate polls has been made to avoid any unwanted surprises that may jeopardise the PTI’s hopes to get hold of the Senate and its chances to adopt legislation including a rollback of 18th amendment that are facing strong resistance by the opposition. In the last Senate elections too, the PTI had expelled from the party 20 MPAs who had allegedly sold their votes and left the PTI with lesser number of Senate winners.
