ISLAMABAD: Railways Minister Azam Swati has asserted that the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) ‘rejected’ Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s candidate in the Senate election, urging the JUI-F chief to rethink siding with the opposition alliance.
“PDM rejected Fazlur Rehman’s candidate. There is no room for him in the alliance now,” the federal minister said while addressing a press conference alongside Senate chairman Sadiq Sanjrani.
Azam Swati further said the way cracks were emerging in PDM means that the parties have always served their own interests. “Their narrative has been defeated and they must repent now and allow us to complete Imran Khan’s reform agenda for the next two and a half years,” he added.
Referring to the PDM’s decision to challenge the Senate election results, he said that no matter what the opposition does, the Constitution protects us. “This is an upper house election. The Election Act has no bearing on this,” he added.
Commenting on electoral reforms, the minister said, “If the opposition is sensible, if they wish to serve democracy, they must know that reforms can only be brought with the law and Constitution.”
“The only way to defeat corrupt practice is by implementing what Imran Khan is saying,” Swati said. He also called for the 39 amendments in the Election Act that he has filed to be passed by the parliament.
Sadiq Sanjrani was reelected as Senate chairman in a blow to the opposition alliance who had jointly fielded Yousaf Raza Gillani. The government swept away the entire election, also clinching the post of deputy chairman with Mirza Mohammad Afridi defeating the opposition’s Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri.
