By-poll results to be discussed in Parliament today

ISLAMABAD: The outcome of Sunday’s contest in the by-election of eight National and three Punjab Assembly seats would be discussed in the National Assembly and Senate separately today (Monday) when the sitting of the two Houses would resume.

Leader of the house and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is yet to appear in both the houses during the current session, is likely to attend the NA session. Well-placed parliamentary sources told The News here Sunday evening that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would have close consultations with his ruling alliance colleagues on Monday afternoon to take stock of the overall political situation. The by-election results would figure prominently in the informal huddle where the future strategy would be discussed.

Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan, who is also the president of the PMLN Punjab, would express his views in the lower house of Parliament on the conduct of elections and the law and order situation.

The PTI’s plan to storm the federal capital through the long march and go for a sit-in will come up for discussion in the two houses. The government has drawn up an action plan to deal with the agitation of PTI. The members are expecting that the minister concerned would take the house in confidence in this regard.

The ruling camp was clear about the results of the by-elections and didn’t give exclusive attention to the campaign since they were of the view that it would have no impact whatsoever on the political chessboard. For this reason, top leaders of the major ruling parties didn’t take part in the election campaign while Imran Khan, who is seriously facing the threat of disqualification, kept burning midnight oil for assuring his victory as the polls were linked to his narrative.

The government is unmoved about the demand of the PTI for calling the general elections in the country anytime soon.

The PTI will agitate the question of manhandling of its leaders on the polling day in Karachi and will also raise their voice against the stated rigging in Karachi polls where Imran Khan lost to the PPP candidate Abdul Hakim Baloch, who was a state minister in the last Nawaz Sharif’s government and resigned from the ministry. He also quit the NA seat that he had won on the PMLN ticket. After resigning, he contested it on the PPP ticket and won it. Now he has inflicted a defeat upon PTI chief Imran Khan from Karachi.

The sources said that the PPP will take on Imran and Shah Mahmood Qureshi in both the houses with reference to the victory of PPP leader Syed Musa Gilani and defeat of Mehar Bano Qureshi, daughter of Shah Mahmood Qureshi, on the PTI ticket from Multan.

The PPP Parliamentary Group leader, Syed Naveed Qamar, will take up the point in the National Assembly while Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani will speak in the Senate, the sources said. Gilani is a central leader of the PPP, who had served as prime minister of the country and lately was the Leader of the House in Senate.