Senate for inter-institutional dialogue to avoid confrontation

The Senate has underlined the need for inter-institutional dialogue to avoid any possibility of confrontation among the institutions. It also called for discussing the Parliament as the weakest link in trichotomy of power in the Committee of Whole of the Senate. The Senate discussed current political situation in the country in the backdrop of the Panama Papers case verdict after adopting a motion and observation by the chairman Senate that Parliament was the weakest link among the trichotomy of power - executive, judiciary and the Parliament.
While opening the debate on the motion, Senator Farhatullah Babar of Pakistan Peoples Party was of the view that the Committee of the Whole of the Senate must discuss whether there was a need to review the Article 164 (3), which provides suo motu powers to the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He said there is also a need to look into whether suo motu notice by the Supreme Court has protected the fundamental rights or weakened them.
Babar also stated how former prime minister Nawaz Sharif personally approached the Supreme Court in the memo-gate case against the PPP government. He said Nawaz had disagreed with the proposal that the Parliament should review whether or not the constitutional courts were needed.
He suggested that all these matters must be thrashed out in the Committee of the Whole to take a decision whether or not to review them. He said that Nawaz Sharif had rejected the proposal to amend Articles 62 and 63.
Senator Sirajul Haq said that the Parliament would be powerful when Constitution and institutions would be powerful instead of families and individuals. He deplored that the Parliament exists in the country but rulers have made it completely irrelevant and no one know where and who was formulating foreign policy and other policies. He said that the country was ruled either by military or by two big parties and they were to be given credit and discredit of everything. He stressed on the need for judicial and educational reforms in the country and called for bringing democracy in the political parties, as well.
Hafiz Hamdullah of JUI-F also expressed similar view and held political parties responsible for undermining the Parliament's powers.
Speaking on the issue Senator Abdul Qayyum of ruling party said that the country was facing serious challenges as militancy was not fully defeated and the problem of load-shedding is yet to be addressed although energy projects were being implemented. He said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor was being considered a threat by enemies of Pakistan. He further said that political environment was totally paralyzed and parliamentarians were not ready to rise above their parties' level.
About articles 62 and 63, he said that his understanding was that everybody is truthful and sagacious unless he was proven otherwise and if there was any ambiguity in it, it must be done away with it. He said nobody should be above the law. "We should sit in the Committee of the Whole to discuss all these issues," he proposed saying that we are facing extraordinary situation which warrants extraorrdinary steps to deal with it Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Senator Mian Attique urged all to use careful language about the institutions after a senator accused the judiciary of supporting military.
Senator Sehar Kamran criticized Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz while Senator Sardar Azam Musa Khel of Pakhtunkhwa Awami Mill Party spoke against the SC verdict in the Panama Papers case. Tahir Mashhadi of Muttahida Qaumi Movement said that political situation after Panama case was in complete chaos and there was absence of governance in the country. He said that court, instead of going against all those whose names were in the Panama Papers leaks, has taken one individual to task. He said it was a victimization of one individual.
Azam Swati of Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf said that Panama case was a step towards independence of judiciary where the most powerful would be made accountable. Earlier, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar presented Electoral Reforms Committee report along with the draft Election Bill 2017 to the Senate and four dissenting notes each by PTI, MQM, Jamaat-e-Islami and JUI-F. He said that the report was finalized after 129 meetings of the committee and subcommittees. He said the government wanted that the elections 2018 should be held under the new law.
The house also formulated a special committee to be headed by leader of the opposition on non-implementation of the Senate decisions by ministries and divisions.
The Senate also adopted a resolution to condemn the manhandling of the media persons by the people in the former prime minister's rally on Wednesday after the journalists walked out of the Press Gallery to protest against the Wednesday's attack. Later, the Senate was prorogued sine die.