ISLAMABAD, Nov 26: The Senate on Friday passed two bills, including the ISI bill, within 15 minutes in the absence of opposition members who staged a walkout to protest against what they termed the government's move to run the house without quorum.

Before staging walkout, opposition members exchanged harsh words with the deputy chairman, Khalilur Rahman, and accused him of violating the rules by not suspending the proceedings as the house was not in order because of a lack of quorum.

"If you want to bulldoze the bill ... its ok, but please, do not violate the rules," parliamentary leader of the People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP) Senator Raza Rabbani said.

"You all are products of intelligence agencies and that is why you are in a hurry to pass the bill giving more powers to the ISI," Mr Rabbani shouted before walking out of the house.

Soon after the opposition members' walkout, Dr Sher Afgan moved the Federal Public Service Commission (Amendment) Bill 2004, aimed at withdrawing powers of the FPSC to make appointments on civilian posts in the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI). The deputy chairman put the bill for voting and the bill was passed after completion of all three readings within 10 minutes.

Later, Federal Minister for Health Mohammad Nasir Khan tabled 'The Injured Persons (Medical Aid) Bill 2004' and it, too, was passed in five minutes. The bill, allowing doctors to provide first-aid to the injured persons in emergency without waiting for the police, had already been passed by the National Assembly.

Another bill to amend the 'Gwadar Port Authority Ordinance 2002' was deferred by the chairman when the parliamentary affairs minister requested that it should be tabled only after getting recommendations of the parliamentary committee on Balochistan.

Earlier, the Senate passed two separate resolutions to condole the deaths of UAE President Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and President of Palestine Yasser Arafat.

The house witnessed a rumpus when opposition members, under a strategy to block presentation of the ISI bill, remained in the lobby and sent PPP senators Farooq Naek, Enver Baig and Abdul Latif Ansari to point out the quorum. At that time, only eight treasury members were present in the house. However, the deputy chairman ignored the opposition members and continued to read out leave applications. During this time, some more treasury members had entered the house.

When the deputy chairman gave floor to the parliamentary affairs minister for tabling the bill, the PPP senators protested and walked out of the house. Later, Raza Rabbani and Awami National Party Senator Asfandyar Wali came to the house and asked the deputy chairman not to violate the rules and order a head count. On it, the deputy chairman ordered the headcount and declared that 26 members were present and the house was in order.

Responding to the opposition's charges, leader of the house, Wasim Sajjad said that the lobby was also a part of parliament and as the opposition members were sitting there, therefore, the house was in order.

At one point, Mr Sajjad even counted the deputy chairman and declared that the house was in order. Later, addressing a press conference, the opposition members expressed their surprise over these statements from a person, who himself had remained Senate chairman for a long period.