Opposition protests PM's absence from Senate session
Either prime minister should come to house or zero-hour rule should be changed, says Senate chairman
A file photo of the Senate's session. PHOTO: PHOTO: APP
ISLAMABAD:
Opposition in the Senate staged walkout on Wednesday from the proceedings at the upper house of the parliament in protest against the continued absence of Prime Minister Imran Khan and the members of his cabinet.
Adjourning the session over lack of quorum, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani said in censuring remarks that either the prime minister should come to the house, or the zero-hour rule should be changed.
The Senate rules provide that the last hour of a sitting would be utilised as zero hour to take up matters of urgent public importance. "Since the day zero hour rule was made, no prime ministers has come to the house," Sanjrani told the session.
Earlier, Raza Rabbani of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) pointed out that Prime Minister Khan has attended the Senate proceedings just for one time. He added that Prime Minister's attendance during the zero hour is part of the house rules.
Leader of the House Shibli Faraz, Azam Swati, Nauman Wazir and other members of the treasury benches disagreed with the opposition's walkout. Faraz said Raza Rabbani has hijacked the house and is disrupting the proceedings. He requested the chair to give his ruling on the issue.
However, the chairman retorted that since zero hour was initiated, not even a single prime minister had come to the house. "The prime minister should come to the house or change the rules," he told the leaders of the house.
On the other hand, differences appeared among the opposition ranks over the walkout. When Senator Sherry Rehman called for the walkout in the absence of the foreign minister, Mushahid Hussain Sayed of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) opposed. "We stage the walkout almost every day, we will sit in the house," Sayed said.
In absence of many opposition lawmakers, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Azam Swati moved the Election Act Amendments Bill, which was approved by the house. The bill seeks to carve out electoral constituency based on former frontier regions.
"The bill is about an insertion of article 2-A in the act which the National Assembly has already passed," the minister said, explaining the amendment. "The new insertion deals with the issue of delimitation of the constituencies."
Opposition in the Senate staged walkout on Wednesday from the proceedings at the upper house of the parliament in protest against the continued absence of Prime Minister Imran Khan and the members of his cabinet.
Adjourning the session over lack of quorum, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani said in censuring remarks that either the prime minister should come to the house, or the zero-hour rule should be changed.
The Senate rules provide that the last hour of a sitting would be utilised as zero hour to take up matters of urgent public importance. "Since the day zero hour rule was made, no prime ministers has come to the house," Sanjrani told the session.
Earlier, Raza Rabbani of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) pointed out that Prime Minister Khan has attended the Senate proceedings just for one time. He added that Prime Minister's attendance during the zero hour is part of the house rules.
Leader of the House Shibli Faraz, Azam Swati, Nauman Wazir and other members of the treasury benches disagreed with the opposition's walkout. Faraz said Raza Rabbani has hijacked the house and is disrupting the proceedings. He requested the chair to give his ruling on the issue.
However, the chairman retorted that since zero hour was initiated, not even a single prime minister had come to the house. "The prime minister should come to the house or change the rules," he told the leaders of the house.
On the other hand, differences appeared among the opposition ranks over the walkout. When Senator Sherry Rehman called for the walkout in the absence of the foreign minister, Mushahid Hussain Sayed of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) opposed. "We stage the walkout almost every day, we will sit in the house," Sayed said.
In absence of many opposition lawmakers, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Azam Swati moved the Election Act Amendments Bill, which was approved by the house. The bill seeks to carve out electoral constituency based on former frontier regions.
"The bill is about an insertion of article 2-A in the act which the National Assembly has already passed," the minister said, explaining the amendment. "The new insertion deals with the issue of delimitation of the constituencies."