Chairman of the Senate Yousaf Raza Gillani announced the adjournment of the Senate session for an indefinite period.
Islamabad: In a significant development, the Government Coalition and Opposition have elected their respective candidates for the positions of Senate Chairman and Deputy Chairman. Former Prime Minister and senior leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani, has been elected unopposed as the Chairman of the Senate, while Sardar Syed Ali Khan of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has been elected unopposed as the Deputy Chairman.
The Senate session commenced with a slight disruption as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members staged a protest, demanding the presence of PTI senators before proceeding with the session.
Subsequently, as per protocol, the Presiding Officer, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, administered the oath to the newly elected senators, following which members signed the Roll of Members.
Senator Faisal Vawda of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Maulana Abdul Wasay of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) abstained from taking the oath of membership.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi then administered the oath of office to Yousaf Raza Gillani as Chairman of the Senate, after which Gillani assumed his seat and Sardar Syed Ali Khan Naser took the oath as Deputy Chairman.
Chairman of the Senate Yousaf Raza Gillani announced the adjournment of the Senate session for an indefinite period.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has announced a boycott of the Senate Chairman and Deputy Chairman elections. PTI demands that the election of the Chairman and Deputy Chairman be postponed until the presence of senators from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is ensured.
Read More: People’s Party nominates Yusuf Raza Gilani for Senate chairman
Currently, there are 42 members in the Senate, with PTI holding 17 seats, making it the largest party in the Senate, followed by PPP with 10 seats, PML-N with 6 seats, JUI-F with 3 seats, BNP-Mengal with 1 seat, MQM with 2 seats, PML-Q with 1 seat, BAP with 4 seats, ANP with 2 seats, and 2 independent senators.
