OUR politics is full of surprises and the same was witnessed in the Senate on Friday where the no confidence
resolution moved by the opposition parties against the Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani failed to secure the required fifty three votes. Thus, Sadiq Sanjrani is not going anywhere but he will stay as the Chairman and in our view this continuity augurs well for the country and Parliament.
It was a happy day for the ruling and allied parties as they had fully backed Sanjrani whilst the opposition leaders were beaming with resentment and anger after failing to oust the Chairman despite having the required numbers to do so and so much lunches, brunches and dinners to show their unity. Fuming with anger the most was Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who a day before very confidently was advising Sanjrani to resign or face the ouster via votes. Talking to the media after rejection of the no confidence, Bilawal Zardari not only came hard on the government but also vowed to take action against the Senators who defied the party policy and voted against the no-confidence resolution. Anyway, we understand that this should not be taken as a victory or defeat by the political parties rather whilst rising above their egos and petty political interests, they should focus on their main work i.e. legislation. Also in our view, there was no justification for the opposition parties to move the no confidence resolution against the Chairman who has acted with complete neutrality and impartiality since assuming the office rather its harsh decisions also only came against the government’s ministers. He truly has taken forward the standards set by the former Chairman Raza Rabbani. This is why, in our view, some of the opposition members voted against the no confidence out of their conscience. It was also the first time in the country’s history that such a resolution was moved against the sitting Chairman and that too not because the opposition had any complaints against him but it wanted to bring the government under some pressure by bringing his own Chairman. The opposition parties need to act with more maturity and rather it should highlight the problems faced by the people due to price hike and take active part in legislation aimed at the welfare of masses. This is how democracy and institutions will gain strength. Had the no confidence resolution against Sanjrani succeeded, this in fact would have paved the way for more such resolutions in the very near future. We expect that such a course against the Chairman will be discouraged in future for the sanctity of the house. If Bilawal Bhutto is really interested in bringing changes in the rules of Senate, then the first should be towards protecting the term of the Chairman Senate.
