Raza Rabbani. PHOTO: FILE
President Mamnoon Hussain on Tuesday summoned a session of the upper house of parliament on Monday (April 14.)
According to a press release issued by the Senate Secretariat on Tuesday, the president summoned the Senate session to be held on April 14, 2014 at 4:00 pm
The session is likely to continue till April 25 leading Senate into its 12th parliamentary year.
While formal agenda of the session has not been disclosed, it is believed that besides key issues, the government is expected to table the contentious Protection of Pakistan Ordinance (PPO), which was rushed through the National Assembly during Monday night’s session amid uproar from the opposition benches.
The government’s ability to pass any controversial legislation through the Senate will be severely challenged, as opposition parties, though divided, have an overwhelming majority in the house.
Commenting on the upcoming session, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker Mian Raza Rabbani said that his party has serious reservations over the legislation and would oppose it if the government pushes it through the upper house.
Having 39 members, PPP is the largest party in the Senate and sits on opposition benches since it was voted out in last year’s general elections for the National and provincial assemblies.
According to party position, Awami National Party (ANP) with its 12 members, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) with its seven members and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) with its five members can form formidable opposition if they ally with PPP against the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which has 16 members in the house.
Though PML-N normally bags support from PakhtunKhawah Milli Awami Party (PKMAP), Pakistan Muslim League- Functional (PML-F) and National Party (NP) having one member each, and BNP Awami with four members, it will still need additional votes to get any legislation through the upper house.
With razor-thin support in Senate, the ruling party will be counting on other groups for votes in the upper house.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 9th, 2014.
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All traitors are against this bill.