In Islamabad, the Senate session on Friday echoed with calls for political reconciliation and the release of political prisoners, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan. Several lawmakers, set to retire later this month, emphasized the importance of putting an end to bitter rivalries.
Additionally, the Senate Secretariat issued production orders for PTI Senator Ijaz Chaudhry, allowing him to cast his vote in the presidential election at the Parliament House on Saturday, following a ruling by Deputy Senate Chairman Mirza Afridi.
Mushahid Hussain Sayed of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) raised the issue, calling for the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and the allocation of reserved seats to the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC). Sayed, in his farewell speech just days before his retirement after a six-year term, recalled advocating for the release of former President Asif Ali Zardari and former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani during the rule of the late dictator General Pervez Musharraf.
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Sayed urged the new coalition government to take the country out of its current economic challenges by bringing all political parties together. Stressing the need for a “healing touch” and political dialogue to overcome differences, he suggested a general amnesty for all political prisoners and emphasized that the PTI deserved reserved seats, asserting it as their right.
Senator Syed Muzzafar Hussain Shah called for empowering the Senate with rights to manage the country’s financial matters and suggested the prime minister’s election by both houses of parliament. Senators Tahir Bizinjo and Shafiq Tarar also urged the resolution of major issues.
Leader of the House Ishaq Dar urged political parties to sign a ‘Charter of Economy’ to lift the country out of the current financial challenges. Expressing dismay at recent disruptions in the National Assembly, Dar called for political parties to work towards reconciliation. He recalled Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s call for national reconciliation, asserting that a charter of democracy and a charter of economy were essential. Dar highlighted the unfinished agenda from the 2006 Charter of Democracy, including the formation of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission and a constitutional court, which he deemed necessary for implementation.
Dar emphasized avoiding personal vengeance and urged collective efforts to move the country forward, suggesting collaboration among all political parties to secure Pakistan’s inclusion in G-20 countries.
In his farewell speech, Senator Raza Rabbani of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) cautioned against discussing the country’s financial sovereignty mortgaged with international financial institutions. He discouraged comments on the hybrid political system and internal politics, urging all political parties to engage in a grand national dialogue to integrate the country into international financial institutions and address challenges posed by the hybrid political system.
