Senate setback: PPP fact-finding committee to question party members

The committee will collect information about pressure or suspected calls from the party members.

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The fact-finding committee formed by Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to find the defectors who voted against the opposition in no-confidence motion against the Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani has decided to question party members.

The fact-finding committee held it meeting in Islamabad today with former prime minister and party leader Yousaf Raza Gillani in chair.

The meeting was attended by Nayyer Bukhari, Farhatullah Babar, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and others.

Sources said that the members of the committee decided investigate into the reasons of losing the no-confidence motion despite having majority in the Senate and also punish those who will be found guilty of violating the party discipline.

The committee will question party senators in this regard. The committee will collect information about pressure or suspected calls from the party members.

Earlier on August 2, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari decided to find the defectors who voted against the opposition in no-confidence motion against the Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani by setting up a fact-finding committee.

The scion of Bhutto dynasty formed a five-member committee to ascertain the defectors of Senate elections. The fact-finding committee comprises former PM Yousuf Raza Gilani, PPP senior leader Nayyer Bokhari, Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani, former Senate Deputy Chairman Sabir Baloch and PPP Secretary General Senator Farhatullah Babar as its members.

This committee may include other members if deemed necessary whereas fact-finding committee will also submit recommendations to the party leadership regarding the resignations handed over by the PPP Senators. PPP Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar expressed that PPP was the only party whose all members handed over their resignation which is a very important decision. PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari asserted that 21 senators have handed over their resignations to him.

In a statement, Senator Farhatullah Babar expressed that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed his disappointment at the horse-trading in the Senate on Thursday and decided that he would go to the bottom of the matter and expose those who played the role of a defector.

On August 1, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said action would be taken against opposition senators who defied party policy and voted against a no-confidence motion that was moved by the opposition against Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani.

He said some petty senators have stabbed their parties in the back adding that we will look into our party to see which of our members came under pressure or sold their conscience.

He further said that the opposition had "won even in defeat because we exposed these puppet senators and Senate chairman".

On this occasion leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Mian Shehbaz Sharif said that 14 votes of the opposition which were horse-traded today (August 1) have damaged the democracy but government has faced defeat in the court of public.

PML-N President asserted that opposition in the meeting has decided to expose the dishonest senators in front of the masses in next All Parties Conference.

The no-trust motion against Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, tabled by Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Raja Zafarul Haq, was rejected. 50 votes were received in favour of the no-confidence motion while the opposition needed at least 53 votes for the resolution to be passed but fell just three votes short of victory.