ISLAMABAD: The first formal session of Senate under the chairmanship of its newly-elected Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani, summoned on Monday (April 6), may be delayed because of the government’s plan to convene a joint sitting of the parliament on the Middle East situation, the very same day.

Chairman Senate had to take charge of acting president soon after his elections on March 12, and hence could not preside his maiden session then.

Leader of the House Raja Zafarul Haq, when contacted, said that the Senate session had to be postponed, if a joint session of the parliament was scheduled on Monday. As of now, neither the joint session had been formally called nor the Senate session cancelled, he added.

Know more: PM seeks joint session of Parliament on April 6 to debate Yemen conflict

The first session of Senate was planned for March 30 but was put off at the eleventh hour because of the promulgation of an ordinance for the constitution of a judicial commission to probe rigging charges in 2013 general elections as per the agreement between the PML-N and Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

The Constitution does not allow President to promulgate an ordinance, if any of the two houses – the National Assembly or the Senate – was in session.

The second likely postponement may delay the formation of standing committees and affect the “tentative parliamentary calendar” for the upper house as approved by Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani.

According to the parliamentary calendar, the Senate was scheduled to remain in session for 12 days from April 6 to 17.

Similarly, under the rules, members of the standing committees are required to be elected from the Senate. However, to avoid complications, the house traditionally, in its first session through a resolution, authorises the chairman to constitute the committees. The house then gives formal approval to committees and respective committee members elect their chairmen.

Raja Zafarul Haq said that the parliamentary calendar may be effected which was not an issue. It was only a tentative calendar and not binding and they were free to call the session any time to recover the missing days and to meet the constitutional requirement under which the Senate is required to be in session for at least 110 days during a parliamentary year.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2015

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