Senate chairman misses joint sitting of parliament

ISLAMABAD: It was first time in the country’s history that the Senate chairman remained absent from the joint session of the Parliament on Monday.

Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani had given ruling at the time of rejection of the bill from the Upper House that it should be brought into the Council of Common Interests (CCI). Instead, the government has brought the bill to the joint sitting of Parliament, the PPP sources said.

The chairman Senate and speaker National Assembly remained present during the last four joint sittings of Parliament. Under the Rules of Business, the NA speaker chairs the joint session when it is called for legislation, while the Senate chairman sits with the leader of the House in the National Assembly. However, both chair the joint session in case it is summoned for general purposes.

According to sources close to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the prime minister has directed the Ministry of Law and Human Rights to work for removing the impression that the National Assembly and Senate Secretariats are not on the same page regarding legislation. 

The sources said despite hectic efforts by the government to ensure Raza Rabbani’s presence at the joint sitting, the latter preferred to stay away.  Finance Minister Ishaq Dar had also met Raza Rabbani two days ago and Ayaz Sadiq also phoned him to remove his reservations.