ISLAMABAD, Jan 12: President Pervez Musharraf has approved the summary for summoning the winter session of the Senate beginning on Jan 14. The upper house of the parliament has been summoned primarily to complete 90 days during the working calendar year which ends on March 12.

No session of the Senate has been held over the past six months.

Caretaker Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Syed Afzal Haider told Dawn from Lahore that the summary had been approved to meet the constitutional requirement of 90 days of session. The Senate which has an important agenda at hand will have to meet on a daily basis.

Leader of the Opposition Mian Raza Rabbani told Dawn that the session would be important because the country was facing a difficult situation for many reasons.

He accused the government of violating the Constitution by failing to complete the Senate’s working days. The upper house would not complete 55 days even if it met daily from January 14 to March 12, he said.

The assassination of Pakistan People’s Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto and the controversy over the mode of investigation will be a volatile issue and opposition parties have already sent adjournment motions for a debate.

Another important issue on the agenda will be the safety of the country’s nuclear arsenal in the light of threats emanating from some sections in the West.

The opposition will also raise the issue of flour crisis and rice and electricity shortage.