Probing horse-trading in Senate elections is constitutional obligation of ECP: Marriyum

ISLAMABAD, Mar 14 (APP):Minister of state for Information, Broadcasting, National History and Literary Heritage Marriyum Aurangzeb, talking to media persons here Wednesday after attending the ECP hearing about horse-trading in the Senate elections, said that it was the constitutional obligation of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold a probe into the matter.
She said that Article 218(3) of the Constitution mandated the ECP to conduct elections that were free, fair and devoid of corrupt practices and Article 220 conferred wide powers on the ECP to seek assistance from all executive authorities for discharge of its obligations, including law enforcement and intelligence agencies. She said that clause 219(5) of the Election Act also reflected similar obligations of the ECP.
Marriyum said that Senate election is an indirect election and when a political party of candidate gets votes disproportionate to its representation in the respective electorate (Provincial Assemblies etc) there is a natural inference to be drawn that members have voted against party policy due to illegal consideration, especially of such party members who have not defected from the party. This is what happened in the Senate elections, she added.
In view of the voting formula and stated party positions, the ECP must place onus on the winning candidates to establish how they won the votes of members of other parties to secure seats, the minister emphasised.
She said that the ECP should further require law enforcement and intelligence agencies to conduct inquiries regarding use of money/Illegal consideration in the election. It had the mandate under Article 220 to do so and it must do so in discharge of its obligations under Article 218(3), she reiterated.
Marriyum said that it was the demand of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) that the ECP should hold a probe into the horse-trading done during the Senate elections and those, who had pummeled the sanctity of the vote, should be duly punished.
She said that when a party with 30 seats in the assembly obtained 44 votes it created doubts about the fairness of the election, as securing more votes by a candidate than the strength of the party in the legislature was clearly tantamount to horse-trading. She emphatically claimed that the PML-N had neither indulged in horse-trading nor had allowed it to happen, which was an essential ingredient of the elections.
She said that reports and comments in the media also indicated horse-trading in the Senate elections and the PML-N was also of the same view and consequently adopted the stance that the ECP should take notice of it. She had been summoned by the ECP in the same connection, she added.
Marriyum said that both Imran and Zardari were masters of horse-trading and the show put up by them during the Senate elections was witnessed by the entire nation. Those, who danced at the finger of the umpire, and the ones, who talked of demolishing everything, should also be held accountable, she said, adding that the people would seek answers from them in the 2018 elections by rejecting them.
The minister said that Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, who was thrice elected prime minister of the country, was disqualified for not drawing salary from the company of his son and on the basis of ‘Iqama’. Boxes were brought on trolleys supposedly containing incriminating evidence against Nawaz Sharif but they failed to ferret out any corruption against him, she added.
She said that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) initially filed four references against Nawaz Sharif and when nothing emerged from them, supplementary references were being brought up, adding that they would not be able to substantiate any allegations of corruption against him.
Marriyum said that Nawaz Sharif was made to appear before the court twice a day and after no proof regarding corruption was found he took upon himself the responsibility to fight for the legitimate cause of restoring the sanctity of the vote. Nawaz Sharif had only one objective and even yesterday he reiterated the narrative of ‘respect and sanctity of vote’ and it was not a crime to expound one’s disposition on an issue, she added.
She reiterated that Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was the most popular leader while the PML-N was the largest political party of the country.
Responding to a question the minister pointed out that the constitution had delineated the functions and powers of all the constitutional bodies, including parliament, executive and judiciary.