‘Participatory federalism is Senate’s next year goal’

ISLAMABAD:  Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani has said that participatory federalism is the goal of Senate’s next parliamentary year and mechanism would be devised to develop strong linkages between Senate and the provincial assemblies which are the constituencies of senators.

He made these remarks while addressing the launching ceremony of alphabetical catalogue of laws of Pakistan from 1836 to 2014 which is an indigenous publication of the Upper House of Parliament.

The ceremony was held in the Parliament House on the last day of 13th parliamentary year 2015-16. Mian Raza Rabbani termed this document a repository of all laws of Pakistan and said that it will serve the cause of preserving Parliament’s legal institutional memory.

The catalogue has been compiled by Former Senator Muhammad Anwar Bhinder and a three member team of the Senate Secretariat, headed by Deputy Director Library, Ms Shagufta Shoukat.

Senator Anwar Bhinder, while addressing the ceremony, said that the previously compiled chronological catalogue of laws of Pakistan created difficulties in finding laws if the year of promulgation was not known. “This catalogue would serve this concern, and any law or ordinance can be found by simply checking the title of the law,” he added.

 It may be mentioned that the chronological catalogue was also prepared by Senator Anwar Bhinder.Former Senate Chairman Waseem Sajjad   identified  the need for updating this catalogue after regular time periods as new legislation is carried out by parliament every year.

Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani, replying to this indication, informed the ceremony that a new committee on subordinate legislation has been created in the Senate which will look into the outflow of laws from parliament, hence keeping an update of law catalogue. He also said that the catalogue of laws is a marketable document, and it has to be made known to all relevant sectors, including law schools, high court libraries and law houses of all provinces.

Senate secretary,  while addressing the ceremony, termed the document a work of international standard and a truly unique initiative as it relates to all laws governing every possible aspect of civic life.The ceremony was attended by sitting and former senators, law experts, civil society members and officers of the Senate Secretariat.