File photo of Pakistan Senate
Outgoing Leader of the House in the Senate, Ishaq Dar, on Friday reiterated calls for the opposition to work with the treasury benches to overcome the crises facing the country.
“If we keep on fighting with each other, it would benefit the enemy country,” he warned, regretting that whenever Pakistan is on a forward trajectory, internal elements derail its progress. “Let us consciously work together not to allow this to happen again,” he stressed.
Dar, who is a prominent leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), said politicians should work together to complete the unfinished agenda of the charter of democracy, including the establishment’s role in governance; a truth and reconciliation commission; and a constitutional court. This has also been voiced by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, he said, and stressed that a consensus economic roadmap should be devised, as no single party could overcome the prevailing challenges.
Dar’s address was followed by former Senate chairman Mian Raza Rabbani, who urged all political parties to move toward a national dialogue to rid the country of international financial imperialism and hybrid governance. He said this could be achieved through a Senate committee, and did not even require the formation of a truth and reconciliation commission.
Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed of the PMLN, in his farewell speech to the House, described Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan as a “political prisoner,” and said he should be released. “A new chapter has begun after Feb. 8, and we need a healing touch,” he claimed, proposing a blanket amnesty for PTI workers and leaders implicated in the May 9 riots. He also criticized the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)’s decision to deny the PTI its share of reserved seats.
Also on Friday, on a motion moved by PTI Senator Ali Zadari, Senate Deputy Chairman Mirza Khan Afridi orders the issuance of production orders for Senator Ijaz Chaudhry to enable him to use his right to vote in the presidential election. The House also passed a resolution seeking to officially declare PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as ‘shaheed’ and awarding Nishan-i-Zulfikar to the political workers and activists who have fought and sacrificed their lives for democracy.