ISLAMABAD: The government is likely to delay the first session of the new Senate till first week of April, apparently in a move to enable the president to promulgate an ordinance to constitute a judicial commission to probe alleged rigging in elections.

Sources in the government and the opposition told Dawn that initially the first session of the Senate was planned to be convened on March 30, but now the government was considering delaying the sitting at least for one week.

PPP’s Parliamentary Leader Saeed Ghani, when contacted, said he had come to know that the government was considering convening the session on April 6, instead of March 30.

Know more: Govt agrees on judicial commission to probe election rigging

The government and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) last week agreed on the formation of a judicial commission through a presidential ordinance to probe allegations of rigging in the 2013 general elections.

Leaders of the two parties in a joint news conference had stated that the commission would be formed in the next few days.

Under the Constitution, the president cannot promulgate an ordinance, if any of the two houses of the parliament – National Assembly or the Senate – is in session.

Since the current session of the National Assembly is expected to continue till March 27, therefore, the sources said, the government was now considering to delay the Senate session so that it could get sufficient time for the constitution of the proposed judicial commission through the presidential ordinance.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has already called a meeting of the heads of the parliamentary parties on Tuesday (today) to take them into confidence over the agreement the ruling party had signed with the PTI.

The likely postponement of the Senate session will also cause a delay in the formation of standing committees.

Published in Dawn March 24th , 2015

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