ISLAMABAD: In a dramatic development, political consensus on a bill paving way for the possible appointment of retired Justice Rana Bhagwandas as the new chief election commissioner (CEC) broke down in the Senate on Tuesday when members from all sides opposed the legislation, terming it a `person-specific law`.

The government which was expecting a smooth sailing of the bill in the Senate found itself in an awkward situation when senators even from the opposition PPP and its coalition partners protested over the attempt to get the bill passed in the house without referring it to the committee concerned for a detailed discussion.

The bill to amend the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) Ordinance 1977 was aimed at removing a legal hitch in the expected appointment of Rana Bhagwandas, a retired Supreme Court judge and former FPSC chairman, as a consensus CEC. The National Assembly had passed the bill last week after a behind-the-scene agreement between the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) and main opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

Presiding office Tahir Mashhadi of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) later referred the bill to the standing committee concerned after fiery speeches by the members against it and announcement by the Leader of the House, Raja Zafarul Haq, that he had no objection if therewas consensus within the house that the bill should go to the committee.

Many members said they had great respect for Rana Bhagwandas but believed that he would not be able to do anything like former CEC Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim.

PML-Q`s Mushahid Hussain said Mr Bhagwandas was a `man of principles` and an honest man, but laws should not be changed to benefit individuals. Such practices in the past, he said, had not yielded any positive results. He asked the government to withdraw the bill.

The first opposition to the bill after its introduction by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Aftab Sheikh came from Senator Ghulam Ali of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUIF) who alleged that the government was bringing the bill with `mala fide intention` He was of the view that his party was sitting on the treasury benches but it could not support the decisions being made by rulers like `Mughal princes`.

He demanded that the future CEC should belong to Balochistan or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). `It seems the smaller provinces are becoming a burden on you. Tell us when you will unload this baggage,` he added.

The JUI-F senator`s demand for a CEC from the smaller provinces was later supported by Awami National Party (ANP) members.

`People from Punjab and Sindh are being appointed on all key posts. Are we a federation?` asked Zahid Khan of the ANP.

Another ANP Senator, Afrasiab Khattak, termed the bill `illegal` and said his party had not been consulted on it.

Haji Adeel of the ANP threatened that if the PPP supported the bill then his party could part ways with it onthe opposition benches. `If you want unity within the opposition, do not support the bill,` he said while addressing the PPP members. He warned that in future the PPP could even lose his party`s support for elections to offices of chairman and deputy chairman of the Senate.

PPP`s Babar Awan, Farhatullah Babar and Saeeda Iqbal also opposed the bill, although the party had already supported it in the National Assembly.

Terming it a `bad legislation`, Mr Babar said such a bill would also undermine the independence of the FPSC.

Mohsin Leghari, an independent senator on treasury benches, said that the members could cast their votes against the party line on this piece of legislation.

The Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), another partner in the ruling coalition, also opposed the bill and declared it a `bad practice`.

Taliban office Minister of State for Interior Balighur Rehman informed the house that the government would not allow any banned outfit to open its office in the country.

Speaking on a call attention notice moved by ANP senators regarding the offer made by a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa minister to Taliban to open their office, he said the government had not received any formal request from any banned organisation and that the laws in this regard would be strictly followed. The issue, he said, was there only in the media.

The ANP members, expressing concern over the reported statement of the provincial minister, asked the federal government to take action against him.