Govt decides to get Tarin elected to Senate from KP: sources

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has finally decided to get Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin elected as senator from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), ARY News reported on Thursday citing sources.

As per sources, Prime Minister Imran Khan has started consultation with senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders to get a Senate seat vacated from KP for Tarin’s election.

The senator vacating the seat from KP would be compensated through some other political adjustment, said sources.

“It is yet to be decided who will vacate a seat of the upper house to elect Shaukat Tarin as member of the senate,” sources said

The sources, however, explained that even if the election process took some time, Mr Tarin would be made an adviser for some days and then sworn in as senator and finance minister as well.

The finance minister Tarin’s constitutional tenure is ending on Oct 15.

The constitution demands that an un-elected person could remain a minister for a maximum of six months period. To ensure his continuity after six months required to get him elected as a member of the parliament.

Earlier, it emerged that the government had planned to get Shaukat Tarin elected on Ishaq Dar’s senate seat but sources said that Mr Tarin’s election on Mr Dar’s seat could have uncertainties as it could be challenged in courts and stayed.

On October 3, former finance minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Ishaq Dar had written a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan regarding his Senate seat.

Read More: ISHAQ DAR WRITES TO ECP AS GOVT PLANS TO GET TARIN ELECTED TO SENATE

In a letter written to ECP, the former finance minister maintained that rule of taking oath in 40 days as per the new Ordinance does not apply to him as the latter’s case is already pending in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Dar said that the apex court had suspended his Senate membership and notification regarding his success which was issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

My case is still pending in the Supreme Court and I cannot take the oath of the Senate seat till the decision by the apex court, Ishaq Dar stated.