LAHORE – Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) emir Senator Sirjaul Haq has claimed that thePakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had voted for Sadiq Sanjrani as the chairman ofSenate following an “order from the top.”
Talking to newsmen at Mansoora on Friday, the JI chief questionedthe credibility of the Senate after its recent elections, stressing thatSenate had lost its moral position.
The former provincial finance minister continued that the Chief Minister ofKhyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pervez Khattak called him before the Senate chairman’selection and sought JI votes for their nominee, however, he was unaware ofthe candidate.
“When I asked about the name of the nominee, Khattak feigned ignorance,saying the decision was coming from the top,” alleged the JI leader.
Revealing his conversation with Khattak, Siraj explained that the onlything Khattak knew was that the nominee was from Balochistan.
The JI chief added that he did not understand what Mr Khattak was referringto regarding “from the top”.
The JI chairman said that not a few horses but the entire stable had beenbought and sold.
“Those sitting in Senate could not meet each other gracefully because ofthis moral compromise,” claimed the politician.
Senator Haq also insisted that if those who sold their souls and votes wereguilty, so were those who purchased them, calling for exposing the‘purchasers’ as well.
The sensational disclosure was rejected by KP government spokesman ShaukatYousufzai who replied that Sirajul Haq should not play innocent now as hisparty enjoyed power for five years and ‘now he is trying to turn his backon everything.’
Afterwards, Amirul Azeem of the JI retaliated in the same tone and saidthat he was just being emotional.
“Otherwise, the JI chief has only hinted at the self-accountability thatImran Khan has been trying to promote. It is because of the JI that the PTIis completing its term in the KP.” he boasted.
Let it be known that the phrase of ‘from the top’ generally refers to theestablishment in Pakistani politics- a euphimism for the armed forces –however, neither Siraj nor KPK officials have clearly revealed as to whoactually issued the directives, if any.