PESHAWAR: The Senate on Friday passed the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Amendment Bill 2021 – promises complete autonomy for the bank – was passed by majority of just one vote.
The Senate meeting was held under the chairmanship of Chairman Sadiq Sanjarani. During Question Hour session, the Ministry of Information Technology submitted a written reply that Pakistan’s ranking in the Internet Network Residency Index has improved by 14 places, from 111 to 97, in a year. Pakistan ranks 9th among subscribers and 68th in adopting new technologies. Minister for Science and Technology Shibli Faraz introduced a bill for legislation to establish the National Meteorological Institute of Pakistan which was unanimously passed.
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The next agenda was the State Bank of Pakistan Amendment Bill but due to the majority of the opposition in the house, the Finance Minister did not introduce the bill. Opposition members called for the Senate to take action on the bill, but the chairman refused to comply, saying “what can I do if the government does not move the bill?”
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman said that its shows that the government has been defeated as they are not interest in the senate meeting despite bringing its most important bill. The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri said that the government should admit that it has lost.
However, the Chairman Senate adjourned the sitting for 30 minutes. When the session resumed Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin introduced the SBP Amendment Bill 2022. A total of 43 votes were cast in favour and 43 against but when the Chairman of the Senate polled his vote, the bill was declared passed with a majority of just on vote.
The opposition made a lot of hue and cry during the session and chanted slogans like “a friend of IMF is a traitor”. They tore up copies of the bill and demanded vote recount but the senate chairman adjourned the session. PPP’s Yousuf Raza Gilani, Qasim Ranjho and Sikandar Mendhro did not attend the important senate session.
Information Minister Fawad Hussain Chaudhry has said that he is grateful to Yousuf Raza Gilani and the Pakistan Peoples Party for support in the passage of the Bill from senate. In his Twitter post Fawad Chaudhry said that all the opposition political parties have failed to challenge Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Talking to media in Lahore, Fawad Chaudhry said that politically the opposition has been defeated today in Senate where it has clear majority. The minister alleged, “It is a useless opposition that cannot do anything.”
Key opposition members were absent from the House
Out of 99, 86 members were present in the House on the occasion of the most important session. The government has 42 members, while the opposition has 57, including six members of the Dilawar Khan group.
During today’s session, two of the six members of Dilawar Khan Group, Hidayatullah and Hilal-ur-Rehman were absent. The sources said that Senator Hidayatullah of the Awami National Party (ANP) is suffering of Coronvirus. Government allies Faisal Sabzwari and Khaleda Ateeb of Mutahida Qaumi Movement were also absent from the meeting. The Pakhtunkhwa Mili Awami Party’s (PkMAP) Shafiq Tareen and Naseema Ehsan were also absent.
Similarly, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Nazhat Sadiq was in Canada and Mushahid Hussain could not attend the meeting after contracting Coronavirus. The JUI-F Senator Talha Mahmood also failed to attend the session.
The ruling PTI’s Dr Zarqa came to the House with an oxygen cylinder.