ISLAMABAD: Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani on Friday raised an important question about the date of the presidential address to the joint sitting of parliament.

“Should the president address the joint sitting of the parliament on the commencement of each year in January or at the beginning of the National Assembly’s parliamentary year,” he asked during the Senate proceedings, and fixed November 24 for a debate on the matter.

The chairman asked Law Minister Zahid Hamid, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab Ahmad, leader of the opposition Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, former chairman Senate Farooq H. Naek, Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif, Javed Abbasi and Muzaffar Shah to assist him in this context.

Article 56 (3) of the Constitution reads: “At the commencement of the first session after each general election to the National Assembly and at the commencement of the first session of each year the President shall address both houses assembled together and inform the Majlis-i-Shoora (parliament) of the causes of its summons.”

The House witnessed an interesting situation when the Leader of the House Raja Zafarul Haq asked Senator Pervaiz Rasheed to present the companies’ ordinance.

Chairman asks whether president should address joint sitting of parliament on commencement of each year or at beginning of NA’s parliamentary year

The entire house laughed when the chairman pointed out that Pervaiz Rasheed was no longer holding a ministerial portfolio and cannot move the ordinance.

“I could have done lots of work,” Pervaiz Rasheed remarked in a light tone to amuse the members.

The chairman on another occasion rejected the perceived notion of the failure of the parliament to aptly discharge its functions. He said the parliament had taken up issues of national importance.

Citing an example, he referred to a recent judgment of the Supreme Court in which the apex court asked the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to repatriate all its employees working on deputation to their parent departments.

The chair said on the first day of the fresh Senate session the issue had been taken up by the House.

He noted that it would have been better had the government and NAB taken action after the notice of the Senate.

The House passed two unanimous resolutions commending the services of PPP leader Jehangir Badar and ANP politician Haji Mohammad Adeel.

The house expressed its profound grief and sorrow over the death of Mr Badar, a former senator, who died of a heart attack on November 13.

“Throughout his political career, he raised voice against dictatorship and also remained behind bars during the regimes of General Yahya, General Ziaul Haq and General Pervez Musharraf,” the resolution said.

Mr Badar was also subjected to lashes during the dictatorial regime of Gen Zia but he never changed his party affiliation and views, it added.

Senator Pervaiz Rashid said Mr Badar’s struggle against dictatorship would be remembered in the history of the country. Rehman Malik said committee rooms should be named after the late senators who had worked for the supremacy of the Constitution and democracy.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar mentioned the role of Mr Badar in the signing of the Charter of Democracy, a landmark document in the political history of Pakistan.

The other resolution commended the services of Haji Mohammad Adeel and added: “The house expresses its profound grief and sorrow over the sad demise of former Senator Haji Mohammad Adeel who breathed his last on November 18.

He was from a family of anti-imperialists, the son of Hakeem Abdul Jalil. He himself was a great exponent of provincial rights.”

Published in Dawn November 19th, 2016