February 21, 2008	Thursday	Safar 13, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Feb 20: Acting chairman of Senate Jan Muhammad Jamali has summoned the upper house on Feb 25. The session was requisitioned on Feb 12.

After the victory of opposition parties in the Feb 18, the dynamics of parliament has changed but pro-Musharraf senators still dominate the Senate. It may be mentioned that in the present house, a majority of the senators belong to pro-Musharraf parties and the situation will continue till March 2009 when half of the members will retire and the seats will be filled by the parties which have emerged victorious in the Feb 18 elections.

Thirty-four opposition senators belonging to the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), Awami National Party (ANP), Pakhtoonkhwah Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) had requisitioned the Senate session, seeking a debate on the elections outcome.

It is learnt that a three-point agenda – law and order situation in the wake of suicide attacks, price-hike and curbs on electronic and print media – has been submitted. The government is required to convene the Senate session within 14 days of the submission of the requisition.

The opposition has submitted a number of adjournment motions on recent incidents of terrorism in which several people were killed.