ISLAMABAD, March 23: The special session of the Senate summoned by its chairman Mianmohammad Soomro for Thursday will debate the US war on Iraq, foreign policy issues and the controversial Legal Framework Order, the opposition sources said.
The combined opposition, it may be recalled, had signed the requisition for a fresh Senate session during its meeting on March 12 which was submitted to the Senate chairman on March 15.
Earlier, the newly-elected Senate had been prorogued by the chairman on the orders of President Gen Musharraf after the members took oath of their six-year term, leaving the debate on LFO inconclusive.
The Senators belonging to the opposition took the same stand as their colleagues in the National Assembly had taken at the time of taking oath that they were doing so strictly under the 1973 Constitution, and that they still believed that the LFO was not part of the Constitution.
Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, the deputy secretary general of MMA, told Dawn on Sunday that during the Senate proceedings both the treasury and opposition sides will make another bid to adopt a unanimous resolution condemning the American war against Iraq.
He blamed the government for “sabotaging” the proceedings in the National Assembly last week when both the sides had agreed to bring a unanimous resolution against US invasion of Iraq, and to continue the session till Friday (March 14). However, it was prorogued when the foreign policy debate was in progress and some senior opposition leaders had not yet spoken.
He blamed the treasury for trying to make the resolution milder by removing the words of condemnation directed at the US.
The MMA leader, who is also the JUI-F secretary general, said the combined opposition had forwarded its agenda of Senate which will be discussed in their joint meeting ahead of the start of the proceedings.
Meanwhile, Liaqat Baloch, chairman of MMA’s negotiations agenda committee, said the opposition besides the two major topics would also agitate against the government’s direct involvement in the election of chairman and deputy chairman of Senate.
The opposition, it may be mentioned, had boycotted the election of both the high offices as a mark of protest against what it termed the government’s “direct involvement” in getting the candidates of its choice elected. For this purpose, the ISI had invited 54 Senators to a dinner for ensuring a smooth sailing in the elections.
Similarly, the opposition will also raise the issue of price hike and unemployment, which were making life of a common man difficult, said Mr Baloch.
