Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani on Tuesday approved to notify officially that joint opposition has moved a no-confidence motion against him, following which all the senators and Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs have been formally intimated about the motion.
"The chairman Senate has approved to circulate the notice of 'Motion for Removal of Chairman Senate' in terms of Rule 12 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate, 2012. Accordingly, Senate Secretariat has circulated the notice among all the members and has written to the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs for further necessary action at their end," a statement from the Senate Secretariat confirmed on Tuesday.
The Rule 12 (1) reads, "Removal of Chairman or Deputy Chairman- (1) Not less than one-fourth of the total membership of the House may give to the secretary notice in writing of a motion for leave to move a resolution-for the removal from office of the chairman or the deputy chairman and the secretary shall forthwith circulate the notice to the members."
Sources in the Senate Secretariat told Business Recorder that the chairman Senate would separately approve the notice officially, notifying that that treasury benches have moved a no-confidence motion against Deputy Chairman Senate Saleem Mandviwalla, following which, all the senators and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry would be formally intimated about the no-confidence motion in accordance with the Rule 12 (1).
A source in Senate Secretariat said the voting on no-confidence motion against chairman Senate and deputy chairman Senate would be held separately. "Both are separate offices, therefore, the respective no-confidence motions have to be treated separately. The voting on both motions cannot be held simultaneously.
The voting on no-confidence motion against chairman Senate would be held first given that the opposition had first moved the no-confidence motion against the chairman. This would follow voting on no-confidence motion against deputy chairman," the source said.
On July 9, for the first time ever in the legislative history of Pakistan, the opposition senators, except from Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), submitted a no-confidence resolution for the removal of chairman Senate. The opposition also moved a related requisition to convene the session of the Upper House of the Parliament for introduction of no-confidence motion against Sanjrani.
On July 12, in a tit-for-tat response, the treasury members moved a no-confidence resolution against Mandviwalla.
The Senate session is expected to be convened soon to consider the respective no-confidence motions.
Though the chairman Senate cannot preside over the relevant session of the Upper House of the Parliament that would decide about his fate, he is constitutionally empowered to nominate any senator as his replacement to run the house's legislative business during his absence.
According to Section 14 (1) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate 2012, "At the commencement of each session, the chairman shall nominate, in order of precedence, from amongst the members a panel of not more than three presiding officers and, in the absence of the chairman and the deputy chairman, the member having precedence amongst those present shall preside at the sitting."
Normally, the chairman Senate authorises the deputy chairman Senate to run the House proceedings in his absence. However, given that both the chairman Senate, and the deputy chairman Senate are facing no-confidence motions, the senators, as per relevant constitutional provisions, are empowered to choose one of their colleagues to run the session if the chairman Senate does not nominate any senator to act as presiding officer.
The Section 14 (2) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate 2012 reads, "If at any time at a sitting of the Senate neither the chairman nor the deputy chairman nor any member on the panel is present, the secretary shall so inform the Senate and the Senate shall, by motion, elect one of the members present to preside at the sitting."