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Today's Paper | April 30, 2024

Updated 11 Oct, 2017 07:41pm

Senate adopts resolution against disqualified persons holding party office

The Senate on Wednesday adopted a resolution stating that a person who cannot become a member of the parliament should not "become an office bearer of any political party".

The resolution, presented by PPP's Senator Aitzaz Ahsan, pointed out that an un-elected person — someone who has given up Pakistani citizenship, who is declared to be of an unsound mind or otherwise disqualified from holding public office by a court — can become the head of party and take decisions.

The parliament, thus, is "exposed to becoming hostage to a person who himself is barred from entering it," the resolution states.

Leader of the House, Senator Raja Zafarul Haq, said that a bill regarding the issue had already passed from the Senate, so bringing a resolution regarding the same is inappropriate.

Law Minister Zahid Hamid also opposed the resolution being put up for debate and said that every person should have the right to choose whoever they want as their leader.

The resolution passed with 52 senators voting in its favour and 28 voting against it.

Last month, the Senate defeated an amendment to the Elections Act 2017 with a single vote margin, paving the way for Nawaz Sharif to return as the president of PML-N after he was disqualified by the Supreme Court from becoming a member of the parliament.

Speaking on the floor on Wednesday, Ahsan also demanded that a committee be formed to investigate the alleged Intelligence Bureau (IB) list of lawmakers with links to terrorist organisations.

"I do not accept that the letter is fake," he said, adding that the issue required investigation since two senators had also been named in the list.

IB and the government have repeatedly denied the existence of any such list with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi clarifying on the floor of National Assembly that the list was fake.

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