Senate to turn itself into a panel again

Resolution will be moved for strategy to vacate slum dwellers

ISLAMABAD:

The upper house of parliament is all set to band itself into a single committee to discuss the mode of senators’ election, which was called into question by Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) prior to the Senate polls in March this year.

Imran’s party had called for open balloting to pre-empt the possibility of provincial legislators switching loyalties on the polling day under the secret balloting system – a procedure enshrined in the Constitution. Under Article 226 of the Constitution, all elections other than those of the prime minister and the chief ministers shall be held by secret ballot.

Leader of the House Raja Zafarul Haq will move a motion under rule 172A of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate, 2012, to constitute a committee comprising the whole house “to consider mode of elections of members of Senate, pros and cons of single transferable voting system, alternates, poll reforms, etc.”

In line with the demand of opposition parties, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government came up with the plan to change the voting system through a constitutional amendment but the plan was shelved after non-cooperation of mainstream parliamentary parties.

The controversy over the voting procedure led the upper house to call a comprehensive discussion over the subject. During the last week before start of the debate, Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani had said: “We [the Senate] should itself look into the rules before any change is imposed [upon us].”

It will only be the second time in the country’s history for the entire upper house to constitute itself into a committee. Earlier in May, the Senate had converted itself into a committee for the first time in the country’s history to discuss proposals for improving the judicial system.

Removal of illegal settlement

According to the orders of the day, another resolution will also be moved today asking the government to adopt an appropriate strategy to evacuate slums inhabitants. Two Balochistan Senators – Sardar Muhammad Azam and Senator Usman Khan Kakar – will move the resolution.

“This house is of the opinion that the strategy adopted by the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration to demolish and vacate the katchi abadi in Sector I-11, Islamabad is inappropriate. The House condemns the brutal action of CDA and ICT Administration for removal of katchi abadis in Islamabad.

“The house urges upon the government to draw up an appropriate strategy to evacuate the katchi abadi inhabitants and to facilitate them in their rehabilitation so that it becomes compatible with the international human rights laws,” says the proposed resolution.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 10^th, 2015.