ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) leader Yusuf Raza Gilani and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Saidal Khan Nasir were elected as Senate chairman and deputy chairman unopposed, respectively, on Tuesday.
No candidate submitted nomination papers against PPP’s Gilani for the coveted Senate post.
The inaugural session, which began by the oath-taking of newly-elected senators as members of the House, was marred by noisy protests carried out by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
About 41 senators took oath during today’s session except for Faisal Vawda and Maulana Abdul Wasay who were absent.
The Senate session was summoned by President Asif Ali Zardari to administer oath to newly-elected members and elect the Senate chairman and deputy chairman. Senator Ishaq Dar was the presiding officer in today’s proceedings.
At the outset of the session, PTI members launched the protest and demanded adjournment of the house till the election of senators from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, terming the process of election of chairman and deputy chairman as “unconstitutional” due to an ‘incomplete house”.
‘Unconstitutional’
Speaking on the floor of the house, PTI leader Senator Ali Zafar demanded the election be deferred as “the process would be unconstitutional till the house is complete”.
Zafar also blamed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for making controversial decisions.
Lamenting that Senate polls in Punjab were held excluding the reserved seats, the PTI leader said that the election of the house’s chairman and deputy chairman are being made “controversial”.
“We wanted to participate in the election [of chairman and deputy chairman], however, we would not be part of it where it is ultra vires of the Constitution,” Senator Zafar added.
Blaming the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for making controversial decisions, he called for the Senate session to be adjourned till senators from KP are elected.
‘House is complete’
In response to the objections raised by the opposition members, Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar said that nothing is unconstitutional happening here today and that the house is complete for all functional purposes.
He also blamed the PTI for creating obstacles in the election of senators from KP after which polls were postponed by the ECP.