All the rats are leaving the stinking ship, and Mush’s house of cards is crumbling before our eyes. 
PPP-led coalition attains majority in Senate
By Dilshad Azeem
ISLAMABAD: Senator Gulzar Ahmed Khan and his two sons on Monday announced their unconditional support to the PPP soon after four Fata senators joined the PPP-led coalition, giving it an absolute majority in the Senate.
“We will vote for the PPP in the Senate whether we are formally requested or not,” Senator Gulzar, who remained on the treasury benches in the last five years, told The News. Senator Gulzar Ahmed said PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari did not contact him, but his son had a detailed meeting with Zardari and he conveyed a message of support to the PPP in the Senate.
“We are ready to extend our unconditional support even if he does not contact us.” “Yes, we will vote for the PPP candidate for the slots of Senate chairman and deputy chairman,” he responded to a question.
“There would be no problem for the PPP to get a majority in the Senate and it may be overwhelming.” Incumbent Senate Chairman Mohammadmian Soomro and Deputy Chairman Jan Jamali are likely to follow Wasim Sajjad, who had already resigned as leader of the Upper House.
Four senators from Fata, who had supported the PML-Q government, conveyed their support to the PPP in the Senate, which tilted the balance of power in the Upper House of parliament. The Q-League coalition had a total strength of 58, but with the defection of its seven senators and death of Senator Sarwar Kakar a few weeks back, it has lost the majority in the Senate.
The PPP-led coalition would get a big boost if Senator Mohammad Amin Dadabhoy, an independent from Sindh, Senator Amjad Abbas and six senators of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement also extend their support to it.
ìAt least 10 to 12 Q-League senators have already decided to switch sides,” one of the PML-Q leaders said. The support of another 10 to 12 senators from Q-League would give the PPP-led coalition a two-thirds majority in the Senate.
Six Q-League senators, led by Nilofar Bakhtiar, have already formed a forward bloc. The PPP would get an overwhelming majority, even more than two-thirds, after elections on half of the Senate seats in March 2009, since the Q-League has slim chances of retaining seats in any of the provinces.
The Senate has 88 members from four provinces, eight from Fata and four from Islamabad. Each province has 14 general seats and four reserved seats for technocrats and women each. Likewise, there are two general seats and one each reserved for women and technocrats from the federal capital.