PPP's Rabbani tables bill seeking equal powers for Senate, NA

Sanjrani promises to get spycam fiasco probed; PDM seeks separate opposition benches

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Raza Rabbani on Monday tabled a constitutional amendment bill, seeking to bring the powers of Senate at par with the National Assembly.

"We talk about powers of the upper and lower houses of the parliament," Rabbani said while speaking at the Senate's session this afternoon.

"Senate doesn't have the same powers as the National Assembly. Both houses should have the same powers," he added.

Putting forth his demand, the senator called for an amendment in the Articles 57, 62, 72, 73, 86, 89, 126, 159, 160, 162, 166 of the Constitution.

He also asked for "allowing the chief minister of the province to speak in the house and barring senators from having their votes moved to another constituency".

Also read Five PDM parties to form separate bloc

Subsequently, Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani handed over the bill to the committee concerned.

During the session, Sanjrani also assured a forensic investigation of the spycam fiasco.

On the occasion, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senator Azam Nazir Tarar stated that 27 senators represented an independent opposition, and so they should be allotted separated seats.

According to Tarar, the opposition members will continue their "constructive politics from separate benches".

On Friday, five opposition parties, including the PML-N, agreed to form a separate bloc of 27 opposition senators in the upper house of parliament, deepening the rift between major opposition parties – the PML-N and the PPP – over the office of the Senate’s leader of the opposition deepened when

Differences emerged between the parties – both part of anti-government alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement – after the PPP appointed its stalwart Yusuf Raza Gilani as Senate’s opposition leader, apparently in violation of what had earlier been agreed upon in a PDM meeting.