ISLAMABAD: The deepening rift in the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) formally reached the parliament on Monday when five opposition parties’ senators led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) clashed with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in the Senate.
The first session of new parliamentary year of Senate, witnessed a clear rift when five opposition parties in the Senate, who had earlier decided to constitute an independent group in the House having 27 senators, demanded that they should be allotted separate opposition benches.
These parties are PML-N, JUI-F, Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, National Party, and the BNP (Mengal).
Speaking on the floor, PML-N Senator Azam Nazir Tarrar, who is leading the five-party opposition alliance, stated that they are a total of 27 senators who do not recognise Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani as the opposition leader.
He said 27 senators from five parties have formed a separate opposition group, adding that the opposition will play a positive and constructive role.
He demanded an inquiry into the matter of secret camera that were found installed in the polling booths during the Senate chairman elections’ day.
Tarrar said he was saddened by the appointment of the Leader of Opposition, adding that Gilani was ‘gifted’ five votes from the treasury benches.
The PPP senators and others who support Gilani, protested at Tarrar’s remarks while some senators belonging to the treasury benches also joined them in the protest.
On the other hand, Dilawar Khan group which supports Gilani, also demanded separate seats in the Senate who also staged a walk out from the house to lodge their protest against Tarrar’s remarks. Opposition leader in the Senate Gilani while speaking on the floor said he will work with all the opposition parties and will also speak on behalf of the government “if ever needed”.
Gilani said he contested the Senate elections with PDM’s cooperation and will take all the opposition on board on issues of national importance.
“The PDM has become the voice of constitutional rights for women, the minorities, and others. We have come for public interest and it is our duty to represent the people,” Gilani said, adding that the country faces many challenges for which all should work together.
The opposition leader advised the newly-elected members to learn from the experiences of the old and seasoned senators.
Gilani also offered conditional cooperation to the government with regard to legislation on important issues including election reforms, only if the opposition is taken into confidence.
Speaking on the floor at the beginning of new parliamentary year, leader of the house in Senate Shahzad Waseem urged the opposition parties in Senate to work for a unanimous stance on electoral reforms.
He said electoral reforms are the only way forward in resolving issues about elections.
The House met with Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, after the election of new senators on March 3rd, the Senate chairman and the deputy chairman on March 12 and notification of leader of the opposition on March 26.
The House also passed a bill – the Pakistan Single Window Bill, 2021, which was moved by the Minister for Finance Hammad Azhar.
In its objectives and reasons of the bill, it stated that the Pakistan Customs would be a lead agency to establish information and communication technology-based National Single Window (NSW) system. The NSW is facility that allows parties involved in trade and transport to lodge standardized information and documents with a single entry point to fulfill all import, export and transit-related regulatory requirements implementation of NSW enables Pakistan to meet its obligations under the WTO’s trade facilitation agreement while improving ease of doing business in cross-border trade.
The draft PSW bill, 2020 provides legal basis for adoption of functional, operational, governance and revenue models required to develop and operate NSW system on sustainable basis and in line with the best international practices.
This bill will help Pakistan to comprehensively improve transparency, efficiency and control and imports, exports and transit trade besides meeting its international obligations.
It will also help Pakistan to unlock its potential in becoming a regional hub for trade and transit by reducing time, cost and complications associated with fulfillment of multiple paper-based regulatory requirements.
Jamaat-e-Islami Senator Mohammad Mushtaq raised objection over some clause of the bill.
However, Azhar rejected the objection, saying that this would provide a single window to all importers and exporters.
He said that the bill does not seek to repeal or amend any law, adding that it only relates to publication in gazette.
Four bills were also introduced in the House.
These include; The Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2021 (Amendment of Articles 57, 62, 72, 73, 86, 89, 126, 159, 160, 162 and 166), The Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2021, The Islamabad Capital Territory Food Safety Bill, 2020, and The Public Private Partnership Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2021.
The chair referred the bills to the standing committees concerned.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
Comments
Comments are closed.