ISLAMABAD: Amidst reports that the much-hyped yet highly controversial constitutional amendment would finally land in the Senate, the Upper House of the Parliament met on Thursday but did not see the arrival of the proposed law that was not even part of the business agenda.
The House was adjourned till Friday (Oct 18) with government circles claiming that the 26th Constitutional Amendment, that allegedly aims to clip the key powers of the superior judiciary, would be moved in today’s session. However, the official agenda for today’s session too does not include the said bill, implying that the bill could be moved in the supplementary agenda.
The maiden day of the 343rd Senate session saw strong reaction from several senators against the alleged abduction of opposition lawmakers, those of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in particular, on part of the powerful intelligence agencies, allegedly to force them to vote for the said amendment.
Several opposition senators including Leader of the Opposition in Senate Shibli Faraz did not attend the Senate session reportedly to avoid being nabbed by the “unknown persons.”
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) Senator Kamran Murtaza said five to seven senators could resign from the House in the present situation. “It is quite possible that those five to seven persons include myself,” he said.
Strongly condemning the alleged abduction of independent Senator Naseema Ehsan, who was later freed, he said, “If things have to go like this, it’s total disaster—if Akhtar Mengal has resigned in protest, Naseema will resign tomorrow. We have no reason to sit in this House if we are to be insulted like this. If this is the way to get votes for the constitutional amendment, we are better off outside the Parliament.”
Speaking on the floor of the House, Naseema Ehsan said, “It is better to sit down and talk instead of violating the sanctity and privacy of the houses.” A tearful Ehsan could not continue speaking any further and stopped her speech.
Chairman Senate Yousaf Raza Gilani assured Ehsan of his support, asking her to visit his office.
“What’s this? Is this the way to get the votes? Parliament Lodges have been attacked with such shameless audacity. It is an insult to the entire Senate, the entire system,” deplored Awami National Party (ANP) chief Aimal Wali Khan. He criticised Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Parliamentary Leader in Senate Sherry Rehman for being silent over the matter. “Sherry Rehman keeps talking about women rights all the time—even she is silent today.”
In her apparently cautious response, the otherwise outspoken Rehman said that Ehsan did not tell her anything about what happened to her. “Today, I asked her if everything was okay, she did not tell me anything—it is the responsibility of the State to provide protection to everyone,” she said.
Addressing the Chairman Senate, Rehman said, “You are the custodian of the House, I am sure you would ensure protection.”
ANP’s Umer Farooq criticised the Senate chief for leaving the House during the proceedings, and assigning the session’s chair to Deputy Chairman Senate Syedaal Khan, without issuing any ruling against the alleged abduction of senators by the intelligence agencies. “I will resign if nobody takes a stand,” Farooq said.
Treasury Senator Irfan Siddiqui from Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) also condemned the alleged abductions of lawmakers, saying it was the responsibility of the ministers to investigate and redress the said instances.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024