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Senators call for steps to mainstream smaller provinces
Top Story
March 11, 2021
ISLAMABAD: The retiring legislators in the Senate Wednesday called for tangible mainstreaming of Balochistan and ensuring the smaller provinces had complete control of their natural resources.
They also vehemently advocated empowering the upper house of the Senate in line with the National Assembly and said presently the Senate was just like a ‘hujra’ and debating club, having no say in election of the prime minister, passage of the budget and legislation.
At his farewell, Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal said that there was a need to learn from the past and give the smaller provinces their due. He said that the distribution of resources should be on the basis of the area, as Balochistan was almost 50 per cent of total Pakistan, minus Kashmir, but it was not developed the way it should have been.
ISLAMABAD: The outgoing senators on Wednesday called for ensuring supremacy of parliament and giving the Senate more powers, including a say in the money bill, and warned against rollback of 18th Amendment and introduction of presidential form of government in the country.
Making farewell speeches in the house, they also underlined the need for strengthening the federation by removing the sense of deprivation among smaller provinces and giving them control over their natural resources.
Mir Kabir Ahmad Shahi of the National Party said empowering the Senate would help remove grievances of the provinces.
He said the Senate must have a say in the money bill and a role in the prime minister’s vote of confidence.
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ISLAMABAD: The 10-party opposition’s Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Monday formally nominated Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) as its candidate for the office of the Senate chairman, but deferred its nominations for the offices of deputy chairman and the opposition leader.
Mr Gilani, who caused a major upset by defeating Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh in the March 3 Senate poll on a general seat from Islamabad, will face incumbent Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, who has already been nominated as the candidate of the ruling alliance headed by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), in the election for the top Senate office for which polling will be held on March 12.
Pakistan PM Imran will seek trust vote from National Assembly to judge loyalty of MPs
04 Mar 2021 A bystander listens Prime Minister Imran Khan addressing the nation on television in Karachi on Thursday. AFP
Tariq Butt, Correspondent / Associated Press
Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Thursday he will seek a vote of confidence from the National Assembly (NA) this weekend to prove that he still has the support of majority lawmakers in the house despite the surprising and politically embarrassing defeat of his ruling party’s key candidate in Senate elections.
Imran Khan made the announcement in a televised address to the nation, alleging that some lawmakers from his ruling Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) party had been bribed by the opposition to vote for former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in the Senate elections on Wednesday.