Pak senate adopts resolution binding PM to attend its session

Pakistan's senate has passed a resolution making it mandatory for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to attend its session at least once a week after he failed to turn up since assuming the position last year.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement Senator Tahir Mashhadi had submitted a resolution in the senate secretariat that alleged the Premier was not giving importance to the upper house  of the Parliament and has not attended a single session since taking oath of office in June last year.

The rules of the house should be amended to make it mandatory for the prime minister to attend the senate session, said Mashhadi. According to the amendments made in the house rules on Monday, the prime minister shall whenever possible personally respond to points raised by members whenever he is present in the house.

However, the prime minister shall attend the ‘prime minister's zero hour’ at least once in each week when the senate is in session.

The government also received a warning from senate chairman Nayyar Bokhari over its failure to present the National Security Policy before the house despite his directive during the last session.

The opposition members complained about an "unannounced boycott" of the Senate by the prime minister. The opposition walkout when the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's Jaffar Iqbal said the prime minister was busy dealing with national challenges and, therefore, had no time to come to the senate.

The ruling PML-N is a minority in the 104-member upper house. The new rule seeks to rename ‘zero hour’ as ‘prime minister's zero hour.’ Zero hour represents a free hour in which the members can ask any question of national importance without prior notice.

"The prime minister shall, whenever possible, personally respond to points raised by members when he is present in the house. However, the prime minister shall attend the ‘prime minister's zero hour’ at least once in each week when the senate is in session," says the new rule.

Under the new arrangement, it would be a joint responsibility of the leader of the house and the chief whip to invite the prime minister to attend the zero hour and to inform members about his attendance one day in advance.

"If the prime minister is not available, the minister concerned shall respond. If both the prime minister and the minister are not present, the chairman Senate, if deemed necessary, may require the minister to respond to the point raised by the members on a date to be fixed by him," it says.

It further says, "There shall be no debate or voting on a statement made by the prime minister during the zero hour. The member in whose name the item stands shall make a brief statement and the minister concerned shall make a statement on the subject. The statement by the member shall not exceed 10 minutes and the statement by the minister shall not normally exceed 15 minutes."