ISLAMABAD: The opposition in the Senate plans to protest the over the government’s decision to impose to summon the army in aid of civil power in the capital under Article 245 of the Constitution, as the upper house begins a fresh session on Friday.

Besides lodging their protest, opposition parties will also seek a detailed discussion on the matter through adjournment motions, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Raza Rabbani said on Thursday.

Opposition parties have already registered their protest over the government’s decision to impose Article 245 in Islamabad on the opening day of the National Assembly session on Monday.

Senators wondering who will represent govt as interior minister hasn’t been to upper house in nearly a year

It will be interesting to see who defends the government in the Senate, as Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had not been attending sessions of the upper house for almost a year over a row with the opposition.

The opposition, on a number of occasions, have protested the continued absence of the interior minister from the house.

Sources said opposition members would raise the demand once again and ask for the interior minister to be summoned to the Senate to give a policy statement on the matter.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Rabbani said the PPP and all other opposition parties in the Senate had considered this move by the government “uncalled for”, particularly at a time when the country was already facing several crises.

“There seems to be no justification for this action,” said Mr Rabbani, who met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif along with members of the Awami National Party (ANP) earlier in the day to discuss the prevailing political situation.

“This decision to invoke Article 245 can have grievous political repercussions,” he said, adding that opposition members had also raised the matter with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

“We have asked the prime minister to withdraw this decision without any delay,” he added.

The PPP senator regretted that the government had suspended citizens’ fundamental rights through Article 245 and now, government and army actions during this time would remain unchallengeable in any court of law.

Moreover, he said, there was no need for invoking this article in the presence of the newly-passed Protection of Pakistan Act, Anti-Terrorism Act and Section 131-A of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

Mr Rabbani said the PPP did not want to see derailment of the democratic system, but at the same time it could not support this decision.

The government has been under sharp criticism from all the sides over its decision to invoke Article 245.

Government ministers, including Chaudhry Nisar, have been claiming that the decision to invoke Article 245 has nothing to do with the Paksitan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s impending long march on the country’s Independence Day and the decision was made when the military operation was launched against militants in North Waziristan.

In addition, the main opposition party, PPP has also submitted a resolution to the Senate Secretariat condemning the continuing genocide of Palestinians by Israel in Gaza.

Like the National Assembly, the Senate is also expected to unanimously pass the resolution condemning the Israeli attacks on homes, schools, hospitals and the killing of innocent women and children.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2014