Sherry’s nomination flouts rules, PTI tells Senate chief

Azam Swati requests Sanjrani to ensure proper procedure is followed

ISLAMABAD: While the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) bid to grab office of the opposition leader in the Senate is most likely to succeed, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has made a last-ditch effort by challenging nomination of the PPP candidate and terming it in violation of defined rules.

Nomination of PPP’s Sherry Rehman has been challenged by PTI’s nominee Azam Khan Swati who has written a letter to the newly-elected Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani to draw his attention to certain violation of rules.

“I want to draw your (Senate chairman) attention and submit that someone is creating an impression as if by submitting signatures of senators, he/she has qualified himself/herself as leader of opposition under Rule 16 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate 2012.

“Submission of nomination by [Sherry] Rehman is in violation of Rule 15 (1) and Rule 16 (2) of the Senate rules which pertain to the “Office of the Opposition Leader in Senate,” he contended.

According to Swati, Rule 15 (1) says those Senators being elected as independent senator must submit in writing to the Senate and exercise his/her option to join the treasury or opposition benches within 7 days of making oath.



“This entails the independent senators have till March 22 excluding holidays to exercise this option first,” he said adding that Rule 16 (2) says after complying with Rule 15(1) independent senators would be legally able to exercise their option to submit a name for leader of the opposition.

Citing the Senate rules, Swati claimed: “Any list submitted prior to your notification and without in writing exercising their option to join treasury or opposition benches is violation of rules and procedure of the senate and thus with no legal effect as such”.

Swati requested the chairman that proper procedure may kindly be followed in the process of appointment of opposition leader.

The PTI leadership is certain that the party will not be able to win this office after independent senators decided to support the PPP’s candidate. A PTI senator privy to the developments said, “We have till March 22 to come up with numbers. It’s not life and death situation but PTI will fight till end and will ensure that whole process of appointment of opposition leader is held in accordance with rules”.

PTI’s request to CJP

The PTI on Monday also requested the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of the plight of over 1,000 Pakistani nationals imprisoned in Saudi Arabia.

According to the details issued by party’s Central Media Department, the PTI MNA Murad Saeed wrote a letter to the CJP saying Pakistani nationals languishing in prisons in Saudi Arabia urgently need legal help and assistance from the government of Pakistan.

He said several Pakistanis are also facing hardships in the renewal of their work permits in KSA, adding that the government has distanced itself from the plights of Pakistanis.

“The Indian government has furnished Labour Protection Agreement with the Saudi government but unfortunately there is no such arrangement between Pakistan and Saudi authorities,” he said.