|
|
| 24 January 2004 | Saturday | 01 Zilhaj 1424 |
Senate prorogued amid controversy
ISLAMABAD, Jan 23: While being abroad, President Pervez Musharraf prorogued the Senate on Friday, sparking a new controversy over powers of the acting president and adding a new element to the mystery surrounding the assumption of charge by Mohammadmian Soomro four days ago.
"This is totally unconstitutional, this is illegal," PPP parliamentary leader Raza Rabbani told reporters about the prorogation order, which he said should have been signed by the acting president rather than General Musharraf, now in the Swiss city of Davos attending the World Economic Forum.
No official comment was immediately available about the row, which erupted two days after Mr Rabbani had carried the day with a point of order challenging the validity of more than two hours' proceedings on Monday evening when Chairman Soomro continued to preside over the Senate sitting after he had automatically become acting president under the constitution following General Musharraf's departure for a three-day visit to Turkey.
"The Senate does not stand prorogued technically," Mr Rabbani said and promised to bring an opposition motion about the affair in the next session. After declining to give a promised ruling on the point of order raised by Mr Rabbani on Wednesday and already held valid by him, acting chairman Khalil-ur-Rehman read out President Musharraf's prorogation order, which ended what has been a leisurely 11-day session during which the upper house held only five sittings.
Mr Rehman said the acting president would himself clarify the matter on his return to the house in the next session which, parliamentary sources said, would be summoned some time after Eidul Azha, which falls on February 2.
Adding a new tinge to the affair, he said Senate secretary Shahid Iqbal, apparently using protection of service rules about confidential matters, had declined to disclose the exact time when his secretariat was informed by the Cabinet Division about the president's departure for Turkey on Monday.
On Wednesday, Mr Rehman had told the house, after apparently consulting Senate staff, that while the president had left for Turkey at 7.30pm, the house secretariat was informed of the departure at about 10pm, and called it "gross negligence".
While Mr Rabbani sought his ruling on Friday and offered more arguments about the implications of the failure of authorities to inform Mr Soomro in time about when he should have taken over as acting president, Mr Rehman said the matter would remain pending until the next session as "the acting president has taken upon himself to answer all questions about this matter. Let him come."
The PPP senator said that for two and a half hours - after General Musharraf's departure - there was no president or supreme commander of the armed forces.
PETROLEUM PRICES: The acting chairman fixed two hours for a debate in the next session on an adjournment motion moved by MMA senator Prof Khurshid Ahmed over increases in the prices of petroleum products made by an advisory committee of oil marketing companies.
Petroleum and Natural Resources Minister Chaudhry Noraiz Shakoor Khan said the government welcomed the debate and opposition proposals for a reaching a "concrete decision" about what he called a national issue.
Prof Khurshid said current prices of petrol, diesel and other petroleum products in Pakistan contained 80 per cent government taxes and were much more than the benchmark world prices, and called their review twice a month as "fortnightly mini-budgets" hitting all segments of society.
What was the Senate's 9th session that began on January 12 had been marked by opposition's full participation in proceedings after nearly a year of protest boycotts over President Musharraf's Legal Framework Order, but had little official business on its agenda.
The session was intervened by the president's first address to a joint session of parliament on January 17 that itself was marked by opposition protest shouting reminiscent of their similar protests in the both the National Assembly and Senate since November 2002.
No government legislation was moved during the session and several private bills proposed by opposition members were deferred owing to the absence of ministers concerned on private members' days.
Despite speculation that it may do it, the government did not bring a planned bill to revive the National Security Council that met its demise with last month's passage of Constitution (17th Amendment) Bill by both houses of parliament that endorsed an amended LFO in line with a deal between the government and the MMA.
The government did not seek a "vote of thanks" debate in the Senate on the January 17 presidential address, whose copies had not yet been laid on the table of the house.
|
|