29 January 2005	Saturday	18 Zilhaj 1425

ISLAMABAD, Jan 28: Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Sher Afgan on Friday said the government had prepared a comprehensive package of constitutional amendments to the Senate Rules of Procedures and Conduct of Business.

Speaking at a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges at the Parliament House here on Friday, the minister said there was a need for making structural changes in the rules and the constitutional amendments package would be presented in the next Senate session.

The meeting, presided over by the committee's chairman, Senator Prof Mohammad Saeed Siddiqui, reviewed various amendments to the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate which were referred to it by the house in the last session.

These amendments had been moved by PML Senator Chaudhry Mohammad Anwar Bhinder, opposition leader in the Senate Raza Rabbani and PPP Senator Farhatullah Khan Babar.

The minister agreed with the movers that there was a need for reviewing the rules in the light of the difficulties while regulating the business of the House. The minister suggested that the amendments, proposed by the members, should be taken into consideration as a combined package.

The committee members, including the movers, agreed to the suggestion of the minister for revision of the rules in the light of the constitutional amendments made from time to time.

Sources told Dawn that the opposition members in the committee demanded that all the parliamentary party leaders be associated with or their representatives should be specially invited in the meetings of the committee with a view to making these rules acceptable to all the parties represented in the House.

The opposition senators called for finalization of changes in these rules before the start of the next parliamentary year. It was suggested that parliamentary conventions, customs, precedents and practices should be kept in view while making amendments in the existing rules to improve the efficiency and working of the members.

In response to a suggestion, the minister assured the members that rulings of the chair would be provided to the senators so that the members could benefit from them. Later, the committee unanimously decided to club the suggested amendments with the proposed package of amendments and discuss the same in its next meeting.

The meeting was attended by the opposition leader in the Senate Raza Rabbani, Naeem Hussain Chattha, Kamil Ali Agha, Dr Mohammad Ismail Buledi, Chaudhry Mohammad Anwar Bhinder, Farhatullah Babar and Dr Khalid Ranjha.