ISLAMABAD, Dec 15: Members from both the treasury and the opposition benches in the Senate on Monday paid glowing tributes to the “selfless” services rendered by veteran parliamentarian Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani, and declared his sudden death a great national loss.

The senators also condemned Sunday’s bomb blast that occurred seconds after the motorcade of President Pervez Musharraf passed over a bridge in Rawalpindi.

It was for the first time that the opposition members participated in the debate, without resorting to their usual noisy protest against the Legal Framework Order (LFO).

Before the commencement of the session, a meeting was held in the chambers of Senate Chairman Muhammedmian Soomro to formulate a strategy to run the house smoothly. During the meeting, the opposition members agreed not to protest against the LFO and to participate in the debate to pay homage to the services rendered by Maulana Noorani who died in Islamabad on Thursday last.

Leader of the House Wasim Sajjad, while initiating the debate, expressed his deep sorrow over the sudden and sad demise of Maulana Noorani, and said he was a distinguished scholar, a politician of high calibre, the counsel of whom was often sought by other politicians of different political parties.

Mr Sajjad said Maulana Noorani had been amongst the founder of the 1973 Constitution as he had been a member of the 1971 Constituent Assembly that had unanimously adopted the 1973 Constitution. “The debates of the then assembly suggest that he put in tremendous efforts in the making of the Constitution, especially in formulating the Islamic provisions.”

Maulana Noorani belonged to a religious family who has followers not only in Pakistan but also abroad. “A person of his calibre would be missed deeply forever,” Mr Sajjad said.

Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri said Maulana Noorani had been a friend of his father and had always tried to solve problems through consensus.

Prof Ghafoor Ahmed of the Jamaat-i-Islami warned of a grave crisis if the 1973 Constitution for which, he said, Maulana Noorani had played great role, was trampled upon.