They said that the parliamentarians have brought about many amendments in the political parties Act 1976 to serve their own ends and strengthen the hands of the party leader but no change has been affected in the procedure for election of vacant senate seats. The provincial assembly members who are electoral college of the senate election by secret vote can change their party affiliations while casting their note. This has happened many a times in the past, they pointed out.
It may be added that PML-N leaders have already accused PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari of starting horse trading by toppling the PML-N stable government in Balochistan and installing what they called a puppet government in order to capture vacant seats of Balochistan province. He has held meetings with chief minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo and members of his cabinet for this purpose. They alleged that Zardari was now targeting provincial assembly members of KP to buy their votes. Zardari wants to make his sister Senate chairman to maintain their hold on the upper house of parliament to share power after general elections.
Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani, Opposition Leader Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, PPP's parliamentary leader Taj Haider and the party's spokesman and most vocal senator Farhatullah Babar are among the 18 members, out of 26 PPP senators, who will be retiring in March.
They noted that PPP was vacating the largest number of seats after completing the six year term ie 18 out of 26 followed by PML-N 09 out of 27, ANP 05 out of 06, Independents (FATA) 05 out of 10, PML-Q 04 out of 04, MQM 04 out of 08, JUI-F 03 out of 05, BNP 02 out of 02, PTI 01 out of 07. They noted that PTI would be beneficiary in the senate election as it would double its seats while many parties would be eliminated.
It is worth mentioning that as many as four senators will be elected on general seats from FATA, 11 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan each, two from Islamabad and 12 each from Sindh and Punjab will be elected on different seats in the up-coming election.
Talking to newsmen here on Monday Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said if Asif Ali Zardari had chalked out a strategy to maintain majority in the senate, PML-N has also chalked out its plan to check his horse trading.