Federal House

The Senate has been re-designated as the Federal House. This was done without following the mandated process of constitutional amendments. This change in nomenclature seems more like a gimmick than anything of substance. That the National Assembly did not protest this superficial measure is intriguing. Parliament should have removed the stigma of Majlis-e-Shura – which implies that it is at best a consultative forum and not a supreme legislative body– first. How the new name of the Senate will improve the federal character of the Upper House remains to be seen.
Does our parliament know that there is no consensus on the basic structure being tossed around in the apex court? If the Senate wants to make a difference it should rise above plastic measures to strengthen the federation. At present, parliament does not even know who is ruling the country.
B A Malik
Islamabad