Senate opposition urges joint sitting on Afghan imbroglio

Treasury lawmakers insist EVMs will ensure transparent elections

ISLAMABAD:

The opposition in the Senate on Friday demanded a joint parliamentary session to discuss the ongoing situation in Afghanistan, and called on the government to take the lawmakers into confidence, warning that the country could be affected by the fallout of the situation in its neighbourhood.

During a session, chaired by Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, the opposition also criticised the unilateral government plans about the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs).

However, the treasury lawmakers defended the EVMs, saying these machines would ensure transparent elections.

At the outset of the session, the upper house of parliament offered Fateha for the departed souls of veteran Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, veteran politician Sardar Attaullah Mengal, besides those who died in the coronavirus pandemic as well as martyrs of the armed forces.

Speaking in the house, Sherry Rehman of the PPP called for convening the joint sitting of parliament on the situation in Afghanistan. She also slammed the government for attacking the opposition, the people, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the media.

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Responding to the criticism, Leader of the House Dr Shehzad Waseem and PTI Senator Faisal Javed said that EVMs would lead to transparent elections. They said that the ECP’s strategic plan also called for the use of EVMs, adding that the EVMs would be used in the next general election.

During the Question Hour, the house was informed that the annual losses of the Pakistan International Airlines were decreasing. The aviation minister said in a written reply that the PIA’s losses in 2020 amounted to Rs34.64 billion, compared with Rs52.6 billion in 2019.

The house was also informed that the environment ministry had planted 6 million trees in Balochistan, 400 million in Sindh, 68 million in Punjab, 390 million in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 20 million in Gilgit-Baltistan and 110 million in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Winding up the debate on the president’s address, State Minister Ali Muhammad Khan said that the prime minister took a clear stand that Pakistan would not be part of any war. “We have been at the forefront of the global peace efforts and we have played a vital role for peace.”

Kamran Murtaza and other senators raised the issue of students’ protest and demanded of the chair to refer the matter to the relevant standing committee of the house. The session was adjourned till 3:30 pm on Monday.