20th constitutional amendment: Senate session to be summoned tomorrow

Senators laud unanimous passage of the bill by National Assembly.

ISLAMABAD:

The government decided on Wednesday to summon a session of the upper house of Parliament on February 17 to get the 20th Constitutional Amendment Bill approved.

A senior official at the Senate Secretariat told The Express Tribune that the decision was taken after consultation between Senate Chairman Farooq H Naek and opposition leader Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri, who represents the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazlur Rehamn in the Senate.

Naek assured the opposition leader that he would be consulted on all decisions and said that the passage of the incumbent government’s 3rd constitutional amendment is a significant achievement.

“I’m sure that the passage of this amendment from the Senate in the coming days will be another of Parliament’s triumph for real democracy and supremacy of institutions,” Naek said.

National Assembly Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi said the government and the opposition took time to evolve a consensus over the 20th amendment, which is a sign of a true democratic state. He added that the amendment would ensure free, fair and transparent elections.

PML-N Senator Ishaq Dar was the key person to hold discussions with PPP Senator Raza Rabbani to evolve a consensus over the draft. Dar said his party would stick to the stance adopted at the National Assembly. He added that no fresh amendments were expected from the PML-N as the draft was re-done before its presentation in Parliament and incorporated all the suggestions.

Another PML-N Senator, Syed Zafar Ali Shah, lauded the unanimous passage of the 20th amendment from the lower house, but didn’t give any word of its approval from the upper house as well. “The allied parties, opposition and the parliamentary parties are yet to decide their line of action.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 16^th, 2012.