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No confidence motion against Senate chairman: Opposition to file resolution on July 9

By Asim Yasin
July 06, 2019

ISLAMABAD: The anti-government Rehbar Committee of the opposition, in its Friday maiden meeting, reached a consensus to remove Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani and decided to move a resolution in the Senate against him on July 9.

The anti-government Rehbar Committee also decided to hold its second meeting on July 11 to finalise their nominee for the Senate chairman. The meeting of the committee was held on Friday and was attended by Farhatullah Babar and Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari from the PPP, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbassi and Ahsan Iqbal from the PML-N, Akram Khan Durrani from JUI-F, Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo from National Party, Usman Kakar from PKMAP, Hashim Babar from QWP, Mian Iftikhar from ANP, Shafiq Pasroori from Jamiate-e-Ahlhadith and Owais Noorani.

It was also agreed that convener of the Rehbar Committee would be appointed for two months on rotation basis among the opposition parties and ex-chief minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Akram Khan Durrani for two months.

According to sources, it was decided in the meeting to get the signatures of all the 67 opposition members on the no-confidence motion against the Senate chairman.

Sources said it was decided that the parliamentary leaders of the opposition parties will also be summoned on July 11 meeting of the Rehbar Committee in which the name of thejoint candidate of the opposition parties will be announced.

It was also decided in the meeting to hold protest rallies throughout the country on July 25, on the completion of the one year of general elections in the country and will also observe the July 25 as a “Black Day”.

Meanwhile, addressing a press conference after the meeting of the Rehbar Committee of the Opposition, ex-Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Opposition Leader in the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Akram Khan Durrani said the next meeting of the committee would be held on July 11 in which the name of the nominee of the opposition parties for the next Senate chairman will be announced. “While the requisition against the Senate chairman will be submitted to the Senate Secretariat on July 9,” he said.

Condemning the arrest of Rana Sanaullah Khan, he said the way Rana Sanaullah was arrested it was before everyone and no one targeted like him before. He also demanded the issuance of the production order of the MNAs of South Waziristan.

Akram Khan Durrani said Rehbar committee declared the statement of the prime minister with regard to production order as illegal and unconstitutional. He said the opposition will resist the move of reshaping the political order of the country. “We condemn any such order. We also reject the posting of soldiers inside polling stations in Fata, he said.

Former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbassi said the opposition will neither allow the Presidential form of the government nor will allow to roll back 18th amendment. He said the non-issuance of the production order was against the spirit of the democracy as issuance of the production order of under custody legislators is the authority of the Speaker of the National Assembly and Senate chairman.

Shahid Khaqan Abbassi said the change of Senate chairman will be first step of the movement of the opposition. He said when the National Assembly and Senate will not be functional then we have a right to bring the change and tell the people that the opposition was a struggling for the rights of the people.

PPP Secretary General and former Senate Chairman Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari, while responding to question about the prime minister statement with regard to advocating for not to issue production order of jailed legislators, said the prime minister has no right to issue or not to issue the production orders.