Senate setback: Bilawal constitutes five-member fact-finding committee

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari constituted on Friday a five-member fact-finding committee to ascertain the role of party senators in Thursday’s voting on a no-confidence motion against Senate chairman Sadiq Sanjrani.

The committee comprises PPP leaders Yousuf Raza Gilani, Nayyer Hussain Bukhari, Saeed Ghani, Sabir Baloch, and Farhatullah Babar.

The fact-finding committee will also make recommendations about the resignations already submitted by party senators to the PPP chairman.

Mr Bhutto Zardari, according to a party leader, decided to try to get to the bottom of the issue and expose those who played a dirty role and find out why the joint opposition was unable to oust Sanjrani despite being in majority and to punish any party senator if found guilty of defection and violating party discipline.

The decision to move a no-confidence motion against the Senate chairman was taken unanimously at the June 26 multi-party conference in Islamabad.

In Thursday’s crucial session, the Senate took up the motion against Sanjrani.

The opposition moved a motion seeking Sanjrani’s removal, which was endorsed by 64 senators.

In subsequent secret balloting, the opposition fell short of three votes when the final results were announced.

A total of 50 votes were polled in favour of the motion as five votes rejected and 45 cast against it.