Pakistan People’s Party-Parliamentarians (PPP-P) President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday accused Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani of not resisting the "anti-democratic" moves by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
The former president further alleged that Rabbani did not resolve party’s reservations regarding the 18th Amendment and tried to side with Nawaz Sharif during his tenure.
Zardari claimed he had decisive votes to get his candidate of choice elected as the Senate chairman. He was talking to media persons after meeting Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo and newly elected senators from the province.
As the race to grab the Senate's leadership intensifies, political parties have sped up their consultations over preferred candidates for the post.
Earlier on Wednesday, Sharif and other PML-N leaders met with Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party head Mahmood Khan Achakzai and National Party President Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo in the capital to devise a strategy for the election of Senate chairman scheduled for March 12, alongside the oath-taking ceremony for senators-elect.
During the meeting, Sharif was critical of former president Asif Ali Zardari, but supported the idea of reinstating PPP senator Raza Rabbani as Senate chairman, the source.
"I want to see a personality like Raza Rabbani as Senate chairman," Sharif was quoted as saying.
PPP sources, on the other hand, told that the party's Saleem Mandviwala and Sherry Rehman had been strong contenders for the slot of Senate chairman, but Sherry Rehman's nomination was opposed by the PPP's allies. Farooq H. Naek's name is now being considered instead, party insiders had claimed.
