ISLAMABAD / LAHORE: Amid claims by the opposition that the government is employing controversial tactics to delay, even thwart, its attempt to remove Sadiq Sanjrani from the office of Senate chairman, the Senate secretariat on Saturday raised objections to the opposition’s requisition for summoning a session of the house to take up the matter.

“I am directed to state that Senate secretariat has received two separate requisitions for summoning of the session of the Senate by the Chairman Senate, under Clause 3 of Article 54 read with Article 61 of the Constitution…,” said a letter sent by the secretariat to Sherry Rehman, the parliamentary leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party in the house.

It said the procedure regarding the receipt of two requisitions for summoning of the session by the same members at the same time was not covered by the Constitution and the rules of procedure and conduct of business in the house.

“Therefore, you are required to kindly intimate this secretariat as to which one of the two requisitions signed by you shall be processed by the Senate secretariat for summoning under the Constitution, rules and standing orders of the Senate session. Further action will be taken on receipt of your reply,” the letter said.

When contacted, Ms Rehman confirmed that she had received a letter from the secretariat in the evening.

She described it as a “delaying tactic” because one set of the signatures submitted to the secretariat was meant for a resolution to be tabled in the house and the other, as discussed with the Senate secretary, for a requisition to summon the house.

“There was absolutely no confusion; and if at all there was one, why is it occurring to them on a Saturday evening,” she asked.

Ms Rehman said the opposition would insist that the “secretariat honour the timing as clearly mentioned in the rules, when it opens on Monday”.

“All this was discussed with the [Senate] secretary. He should abide by the rules.”

The opposition parties submitted on July 9 to the Senate Secretariat a no-confidence motion against Mr Sanjrani that was signed by 43 members along with a draft of the resolution to be moved in the house and a requisition signed by as many as 50 senators.

Allegations of wrongdoing Also on Saturday, PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif constituted a five-member team of senators to tackle what he called the “issue of horse-trading” committed by the ruling party and its allies.

“The five-member working committee comprising Sardar Yaqoob Nasir, Javed Abbasi, Musadiq Malik, Pir Sabir Shah and Dr Asad Ashraf will devise a strategy for no-confidence motion against Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani and the election of a new one,” Mr Sharif said in a statement.

The five PML-N senators are said to have been given the task of coordinating with or “keep an eye” on their fellow members of the house and take their input regarding the joint opposition’s move to replace Mr Sanjrani with its candidate Hasil Bizenjo of the National Party.

“As the PTI government is making all-out efforts to win over the opposition senators, two main opposition parties — the PML-N and PPP — are trying their best to forestall this move,” a PML-N leader told Dawn.

He said the opposition believed that the government with the help of “hidden forces” was bent upon thwarting the opposition’s move to replace Mr Sanjrani.

“Selected Prime Minister Imran Khan and his government are openly involved in horse-trading in the Senate chairman’s poll which is unfortunate,” PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said.

“Imran Khan can go to any extent to retain Mr Sanjrani. This is a fascist mindset. The government can even violate the Constitution either to delay the election of the new chairman of Senate or buy votes,” she added.

Some ministers had recently claimed that 37 members of the PML-N in the Punjab Assembly were ready to defect and form a forward bloc and some opposition MNAs and Senators were also ready to say goodbye to their (opposition) parties. The PTI also claimed that a group of 10 or so opposition MPAs from Punjab had recently met Mr Khan at Banigala.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2019