ISLAMABAD: In an unusual move, a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) legislator, Friday, presided over the maiden sitting of Senate’s budget session in the presence of deputy chairman Senate—that triggered massive backlash from the opposition which eventually led to the abrupt adjournment of the meeting without transacting the house business.
To the surprise of senators, PPP’s Palwasha Khan placed herself at the helm to preside over the first day of 339th session despite Deputy Chairman Senate Syedaal Khan was present in the house.
This did not go down well with the opposition lawmakers who were of the view that deputy chairman, under the house business rules, should preside over the Senate session in the absence of the chairman Senate.
Chairman Senate Yousaf Raza Gilani did not join the house proceedings.
“This is extremely regrettable, the deputy chairman is present in the house and Palwasha Khan is presiding over the session,” deplored Fawzia Arshad from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Opposition leader Shibli Faraz supported her viewpoint.
“Don’t make mockery of this house—this is just not acceptable; the deputy chairman is in the house and someone else is presiding over the session— things don’t work like this,” he said, as the opposition senators started to protest.
Faraz termed Palwasha’s chairing of the Senate session a glaring violation of the house’s business rules.
The PPP senator responded that she was designated to chair the Senate session by the chairman and that she was already in the chair when the deputy chairman arrived in the house.
The opposition leader contradicted this claim. “The (video) recording of the house proceedings is available. It can be checked from the recording that deputy chairman was very much present in the house when you started chairing the session,” the opposition leader stated.
“It is the prerogative of the chairman to assign any senator to head the session. We will not allow vandalism in this house. We will not be deterred. We are here on taxpayers’ money. We will not allow disruption of the proceedings,” Palwasha Khan said.
In the midst of all this confrontation, the deputy chairman quietly left the house.
Exchange of harsh words continued between the treasury and opposition benches as the latter continued anti-government sloganeering.
“You don’t talk to me in loud voice. It’s extremely shameful that PML-N has let its deputy chairman to leave the house instead of having him preside the Senate session,” Faraz remarked.
The opposition senators questioned under what rule the PPP senator was chairing the session. “Under the same rule that brought you in power— for over four years,” a visibly perturbed Khan replied in an audibly sarcastic tone.
Her party colleague Farooq Naek came to her defence. “There’s no violation of the rules here,” he said. However, a furious opposition refused to listen and continued its protest.
Opposition Senator Atta Ur Rehman from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazal (JUI-F) said a presiding officer assigned by chairman Senate can only chair the Senate session in the absence of the chairman and the deputy chairman. He urged the PPP senator to call the deputy chairman to chair the session.
“Otherwise, we will walk out,” Rehman warned.
PPP’s Bilal Ahmed Khan condemned the opposition’s protest but suggested to Khan to leave the chair “if deputy chairman is around in the Parliament house.”
Amidst chaos in the house, the session was adjourned till Monday after quorum was pointed out.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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