ISLAMABAD: President Arif Alvi has summoned the session of the upper house of the parliament Friday against the backdrop of the scheduled presentation of the federal budget in the National Assembly — a copy of which would also be laid in the Senate for debate and recommendations.

The presidency, Wednesday, notified that the session was summoned by the president under Article 54(1).

This article provides that the president may, from time to time, summon either house or both houses or parliament in joint sitting to meet at such time and place as he thinks fit and may also prorogue the same.

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Finance Minister Ishaq Dar is scheduled to present the federal budget in NA on Friday at 4pm and lay its copy in Senate in the session scheduled at 6pm.

The upper house of the parliament can hold extensive debate on the Finance Bill and devise recommendations accordingly but it has no significant role in budgetary legislation since it is completely up to NA to either completely or partially accept those recommendations or reject them partially or completely.

Article 73 of the Constitution, which deals with parliamentary business with respect to money bills, reads, “Notwithstanding anything contained in Article 70, a money bill shall originate in the National Assembly: Provided that simultaneously when a money bill, including the finance bill containing the annual budget statement, is presented in the National Assembly, a copy thereof shall be transmitted to the Senate which may, within 14 days, make recommendations thereon to the National Assembly.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023