Senate deals a blow to government''s sell-off strategy: resolution disapproving PIA ordinance passed

Through a majority vote, Senate on Thursday disapproved ''The Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (Conversion) Ordinance, 2015'', inviting a strong treasury protest. The resolution signed by 52 opposition senators and moved by Senator Saeed Ghani of Pakistan People''s Party (PPP), was approved by the opposition members. The presidential ordinance was issued on December 04 around the time when the National Assembly was convened - a move condemned by the opposition as unconstitutional.
The resolution that was moved under Article 89 of the constitution - a proviso that was inserted in 18th Constitutional Amendment to empower the parliament - which deals with the powers of president in issuing ordinances also states that it can disapprove an ordinance passed by either National Assembly or Senate. The leader of the house in the Senate Raja Zafarul Haq and Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, who also turned up in the house after disappearance of several months, strongly protested against the passage of the resolution, declaring the move a wilful attempt to disrupt what he said the ongoing reconciliatory approach among political parties.
Senator Dar even went on to say that the move is highly ''regrettable and condemnable'', adding that after Charter of Democracy, he had been advocating a charter of economy, but the step taken by the opposition MPs had hurt him to the point of no return. He also threatened the opposition senators that the government still had a lots of options and the same ordinance would be passed by convening a joint sitting of parliament. According to Dar, the PIAC ordinance was solely meant to improve the performance of the national flag carrier, adding there was not a single word that said the entity was being privatised.
They leader of the house in the Senate accused Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani of tactfully paving the way for the opposition to pass the resolution. But Rabbani, who is the author of the 18th Constitutional Amendment, rejected the accusations levelled against him of siding with the opposition. He said the Senate has no role but that of a post office''s as the resolution was moved by invoking Article 89 of the constitution, which he said was sent to the law and justice ministry for approval.
"The Senate secretariat has no role in admitting the resolution as it was sent to the law ministry and was included in the agenda after being approved by the law minister and the secretary law...our role is just that of a post office," he added. Senator Farhatullah Babar of PPP said he was shocked to see the reaction of the government after the passage of a constitutional resolution which is nothing but ''a great deficit of trust and a great deficit of competence''.
"Why the presidential ordinance was issued in such haste if the government was serious to improve the performance of PIA and had no intention to privatise it...the treasury member had no idea what was in the resolution unless it was approved by the house," he added. Senator Farooq H Naek of PPP said that once a resolution, moved under Article 89 of the constitution, is passed the ordinance stands repealed and no debate can be done on the resolution, adding ''it was a constitutional resolution''. Senator Saeed Ghani who moved the resolution said that opposition needed no certificate of patriotism from the government, adding the opposition would continue to play its role for the best interest of the country.