Senate seeks greater constitutional role

To begin talks with NA on a new legislative package to broaden its functions

ISLAMABAD: The Senate decided to start talks with the National Assembly on a new legislative package for broadening its constitutional role.

The Upper House of Parliament has been struggling to truly represent the federation for the past 44 years, ever since the adoption of the Constitution.

Senate started its session marking the advent of the new parliamentary year on Monday by celebrating the Constitution Day, commemorating the adoption of the Constitution on April 10, 1973.



This is the third time the Senate is commemorating the day since 2015. However, ministers continued to show apathy towards Senate proceedings.

Irked by the ministers’ lack of interest, Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani admonished the government and issued a stern warning again.

The proceedings started as the Senate discussed its role, appreciating the framers of the 1973 Constitution. As discussion progressed, more and more members of the Senate irrespective of their political affiliations called for greater powers for the Upper House.

Later, it was decided to start parleys with the government, speaker of the National Assembly and parliamentary leaders in the National Assembly to amend the Constitution to broaden Senate’s role and powers to protect the rights of federating units and provide provinces meaningful participation in the affairs of the federation.



On February 13 this year, the Senate had passed a resolution in this regard, delineating amendments required in this regard.

A committee of leading Senators would engage the relevant stakeholders – a daunting task, given the past track record of such moves.

Perturbed by continuous absence of ministers, Raza Rabbani censured the government.

“Ministers’ absence in the Senate is derisive. I will not tolerate such disgraceful treatment of this house,” Rabbani remarked.

Warning the government, he said: “If this (apathy) continues, I will adjourn the proceedings.”

“You are weakening parliament by your actions. At least seven (relevant) ministers are not here to respond to members’ queries. Please look into this matter,” he said.



Senator Farhatullah Babar said that Constitution should be made a compulsory subject in all academic institutions, especially in military academies, to inculcate respect for the Basic Law.

Citing the Quaid’s address to officers in June of 1948, he said that the Quaid had deplored that senior military officers did not fully appreciate the importance of Constitution or the importance of their oaths.

He reminded that the Quaid had read out the oath in its entirety to emphasise upon the importance of the oath.

Rabbani said there was a mindset which believed that a uniformed person was a greater patriot than a civilian and an elected prime minister was a ‘security risk’.

“Such a mindset does not readily come to terms with the Constitution formulated by elected representatives of the people,” he said.

Expressing the hope that the days of abrogation of the Constitution and the imposition of PCOs and the LFOs might be over, he said: “But the day when all state institutions will willingly accept the supremacy of the Constitution is still far away.”

“If all institutions willingly submitted to the Constitution, it would not have been possible for a dictator who was being tried for treason to escape trial by just barging into a hospital in Rawalpindi, leaving the courts and parliament bewildered.”

Muzaffar Hussain Shah of PML-F said that the Constitution was still not a truly federal document.

“If participatory constitution and federalism had been there since 1947, Pakistan would not have suffered the debacle of East Pakistan” he said.

If and when the Senate had the powers equal to those of the National Assembly in discussing and voting on money bill, it would be truly a participatory constitution.

Rehman Malik of PPP lamented the treatment meted out to the man who gave the country its Constitution. General Zia, he said, had not only deposed him but committed his judicial murder.

He requested the Supreme Court to decide a reference his party had filed in Zulfikar Ali Bhutto case during the tenure of former chief justice Iftikhar Chudhry.