Mian Raza Rabbani, former Chairman of the Senate and a prominent figure in the People’s Party, condemned the President’s failure to convene the National Assembly session, likening it to an assault on the Constitution.
Chairing the Senate session, Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani presided over discussions where Raza Rabbani raised concerns about blatant violations of the Pakistani Constitution, stating that the very foundation of the Constitution is under threat. He criticized the President’s rejection of the caretaker prime minister’s proposal to convene the National Assembly session, citing it as unconstitutional and a direct infringement of Article 91.
Senator Saifullah Abru from the PTI highlighted discrepancies between the Constitution, which mandates the National Assembly to convene within 21 days, and the Election Act, which requires the Election Commission to publish Form 45 within fourteen days. He questioned why the President’s decision to delay the meeting was tied to the absence of Sunni Ittehad Council’s designated seats and why the Election Commission hadn’t announced these seats.
Additionally, Senator Mushtaq Ahmed of Jamaat-e-Islami criticized the performance of government-owned institutions, stating that despite consuming billions in taxpayer money, their effectiveness remains negligible. He advocated for privatization, particularly citing a ten percent loss of state-owned enterprises’ contribution to the GDP.
Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Murtaza Solangi, asserted that decisions regarding the privatization of government institutions would be made by the elected government. He highlighted significant losses incurred by over 200 institutions, including those in the power, finance, communication, and transportation sectors.
Solangi further elaborated on the Ministry of Finance’s report, revealing a staggering 730 billion rupees in losses across various sectors, with the most significant losses in entities like the National Highway Authority (NHA), amounting to approximately 170 billion rupees.
During the session, several bills, including the Christian Marriage Amendment Bill 2023, Criminal Laws Amendment Bill 2023, Lands Amendment Bill 2023, Medical Assistance to Injured Persons Amendment 2023, Federal Institute of Management Sciences Bill 2023, and Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Technology Bill 2023, were unanimously approved.
The meeting adjourned until 10:30 am on Tuesday morning.
