ISLAMABAD, Aug 19: Senate Chairman Mohammadmian Soomro has said the election of the deputy chairman will be held in the next session expected to be held in mid-September.

Talking to journalists at the Parliament House here on Friday, the Senate chairman said he was satisfied with the performance of the members of the Senate and the standing committees.

In reply to a question, he said selection of a candidate for the post of deputy chairman was the responsibility of the political parties. To another question about the reports that the ruling coalition was facing a difficulty in getting its candidate elected as the deputy chairman due to the internal differences, he said, the ruling party had a majority in the House and when they could pass bills then they could also get their candidate elected.

To a query, Mr Soomro said it was a wrong concept that the Senate became headless whenever he took charge as the acting president of the country, saying the administrative affairs of the Senate Secretariat continued to be looked after by him during this period.

When asked to give his views on the refusal of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman and the Fauji Foundation (FF) chief to appear before the Senate standing committee, he said the NAB chairman had never refused to attend the meeting. He said any official could represent an organization in the standing committees’ meetings. He said it was the responsibility of the ministries to ensure implementation of the recommendations of the Senate committees.

When his comments were sought on the issue that important national matters were not being brought before parliament and decisions were being made somewhere else, the Senate chairman said if any decision was taken in the cabinet meeting, then cabinet members were also part of parliament.

Mr Soomro also announced that the first meeting of the Asian Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) would be held in Pakistan on Saturday. He said efforts were being made to set up the secretariat of the CPA in Pakistan.