File photo of Pakistan Senate
President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday summoned a session of the Upper House of Parliament on April 9 (Tuesday) for the oath-taking of newly-elected senators and the election of the Senate chairman and deputy chairman.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by Clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari has summoned the Senate to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Tuesday, the 9th April 2024 at 09 a.m.,” read a notification issued by the Presidency.
However, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC), seeking a stay on the election of the Senate chairman and deputy chairman until polls can be conducted for 11 vacant seats of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Senate elections in KP were postponed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on a petition filed by opposition members after the provincial government refused to summon a session to administer oath of office to MPAs-elect on reserved seats.
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, thus, remains incomplete.
For the slot of chairman, the PPP has nominated former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, while there has, as yet, been no formal announcement for the deputy chairman. Gilani’s nomination was agreed as part of a power-sharing agreement between the PPP and PMLN, who are coalition partners in the federal government. Gilani, even without the KP seats and PTI opposition, has the support of 24 PPP senators; 19 PMLN; four Balochistan Awami Party; three Awami National Party; three independents and one senator of the National Party.
By contrast, the PTI currently has the support of 20 senators; and one each from the Balochistan National Party and PMLQ.