Govt to hold early Senate elections: PM

PESHAWAR: Prime Minister Imran Khan announced on Wednesday that the government will hold the Senate elections, scheduled for March, at an earlier date.

Speaking to the media here, he revealed the government has decided to hold the polls through show of hands instead of a secret ballot to bring an end to the practice of horse-trading and added it is going to approach the Supreme Court to seek its opinion on the proposed changes in the voting procedure.

Also Read: Govt to seek Supreme Court opinion over change in Senate electoral procedure

Prime Minister Imran Khan said that money was used to buy votes in the Senate polls in the past, recalling he expelled 20 PTI members of provincial assemblies after they were found to be involved in horse-trading.

“We believe in transparent elections,” he declared. The polls will be held for 52 seats of the upper house of Parliament as many members of the 104-member Senate are retiring on March 11.

Talking about the 11-party opposition PDM alliance, the prime minister said: “I had said on day one that all thieves will band together. Today, they have united under the name of the PDM.”

Read: Federal govt decides to hold Senate polls through ‘show of hands’

He said opposition leaders questioned when had they asked him for an NRO-like deal. “They asked for NRO in writing on the NAB issue. The amendments they put forth meant burying NAB.”

Prime Minister reiterated that he won’t give the opposition an NRO at any cost, adding the corruption cases opposition leaders face were instituted in the past and not by his government. “There is no threat to our government from the opposition, nor is there any kind of pressure on me,” he cleared.