Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) candidate and former prime minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani was elected Chairman of Senate unopposed on Tuesday. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Syed Syedaal Khan Nasir was also elected as deputy chairman of the Senate unopposed. The oath-taking of chairman and deputy chairman will take place later. Earlier in the day, 37 newly-elected senators took oath at the Parliament House in Islamabad. The newly-elected senators were administered oath by Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar who presided over the session. Eighteen of the sworn-in senators belonged to PPP, 14 to PML-N, three to JUI, two to PTI, three independents and one each belonged to MQM, ANP and National Party. The Senate session began amid noisy slogans raised by the PTI members. As the session was set into motion, Senate Secretary Qasim Samad Khan announced that the newly-elected senators would take their oath of office. He then said that the session would resume “in the afternoon” to elect the chairman and the deputy chairman.

The prominent among those who took oath were Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, Syed Mohsin Naqvi, Abdul Qadoos Bizenjo, Finance Minister Aurangzeb and Aimal Wali. The newly-elected senators then exchanges pleasantries and signed the roll of members. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) meanwhile nominated Sedal Khan Nasir as its candidate for the post of deputy Senate Chairman. He is a PML-N leader from Balochistan. Nawaz Sharif announced the name of Syedal Khan in consultation witih Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Despite holding the Senate elections on April 2, the senate meeting could not be convened even after three days passed as per the constitutional binding. Anyhow, the first meeting of the Senate was called by the President today (on April 9). Unlike the prevailing tradition, the swearing of members and election of chairman and deputy chairman will be done on the same day. Pakistan People's Party has nominated Yousuf Raza Gilani as Chairman Senate. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Senator Ali Zafar said that the election of the Senate chairman is in violation of Articles 59 and 60 of the Constitution.

Ali Zafar said they will demand the presiding officer to postpone the election. If the presiding officer does not accept the demand, their party members will not be a part of the election, he warned. It is worth mentioning that the numbers of the senators are incomplete till today as the senate elections were postponed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa until resolving the issue of the swearing-in of members on reserved seats in KP Asssembly. And, new election schedule for 11 Senate seats in KP has not been released by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). So, without 11 senators of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the election process of chairman and deputy chairman has been questioned. Under the Constitution, the President's address is required at the beginning of the parliamentary year of the Senate and the National Assembly and the President cannot address the joint session of the Parliament until the swearing-in of the senators. Pertinent to mention that President Asif Ali Zardari also called a joint session of the Parliament on April 16 to address it following the constituion.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan