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| September 13, 2005 | Tuesday | Sha’aban 8, 1426 |
Senate session likely to be stormy
ISLAMABAD, Sept 12: The Senate session commencing on Tuesday is likely to witness stormy moments as the opposition plans to take up motions and call-attention notices on several issues, including alleged rigging of the local government elections, increase in petroleum prices and some incidents of gang rape.
Sources told Dawn that the opposition parties were planning to agitate the absence of both the chairman and the deputy chairman of the Senate when it would meet on Tuesday.
The office of deputy chairman fell vacant when Khalilur Rehman took oath as the NWFP governor on March 15. The government has failed to conduct election of the deputy chairman.
Senate Chairman Mohammedmian Soomro assumed the charge of acting president after President Pervez Musharraf left for the United States on Sunday.
People’s Party Parliamentarians Senator Farhatullah Babar, when contacted, said the government had reportedly claimed that the chairman had appointed a panel of presiding officers before assuming the office of acting president. He said the chairman had to nominate the panel at the commencement of the session and he could not do so in his chamber.
“Whoever presides over the session on Tuesday will have no legal basis to do so,” Senator Babar added.
The opposition was also planning to protest over alleged rigging of the local elections, the sources said.
They said an adjournment motion had been submitted by leader of the opposition Raza Rabbani, Awami National Party chief Asfandyar Wali, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) parliamentary leader Ishaq Dar and PPP Senators Safdar Abbasi and Farhatullah Babar on the increase in petroleum prices.
The sources said Senators Wali, Rabbani, Babar and Sanaullah Baloch had moved an adjournment motion on alleged gang rape of a girl in Azad Kashmir by security personnel in July. Senator Babar has also filed a call-attention notice on the issue.
Opposition members have submitted an adjournment motion seeking discussion on the promulgation of an ordinance curtailing the term of chairman and members of the Federal Public Service Commission from five to three years. Senator Babar has moved a resolution calling for disapproval of the ordinance.
A call-attention notice and a notice for motion to discuss selection and recruitment to public services has also been submitted.
Adjournment motions on the privatization of the Pakistan Steel, alleged World Bank interest in the placement of Pakistani bureaucrats and increase in gas and flour prices have been submitted.
The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, the sources said, was likely to raise the issue of the recent meeting between Pakistani and Israeli foreign ministers.
The session is expected to continue for 10 days.
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