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Wednesday, 10 April, 2024 I 1 Shawwal, 1445
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41 NEWLY-ELECTED SENATORS SWORN IN AS MEMBERS OF UPPER HOUSE OF PARLIAMENT BEFORE CHAIRMAN’S ELECTION
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ISLAMABAD
Rs 20.00 | Vol XIV No 283 I 8 Pages I Islamabad Edition
ALI ZAFAR DEMANDS POSTPONEMENT OF CHAIRMAN’S ELECTION UNTIL SENATE ELECTIONS CONDUCTED IN KP
STAFF REPORT
AKISTAN Peoples Party’s (PPP) candidate and former prime minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani and PMLN’s Syed Syedal Khan Nasir on Tuesday were elected unopposed as Chairman and Deputy Chairman respectively of Senate – the Upper House of the Parliament. As many as 41 newly-elected senators were also sworn in as members of the Upper House of Parliament in the session that elected chairman and deputy chairman amid a noisy protest by the PTI, which had boycotted the election. The newly-elected senators were administered oath by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who had won on a technocrat seat from Islamabad on April 2 and he was presiding officer for today’s session which began shortly after 9am. Eighteen of the sworn-in senators belonged to PPP, 14 to PML-N, three to JUI-F, two to PTI, three independents and one each belonged to MQM, ANP and National Party. The Senate session began amid noisy slogans raised by the PTI members. As the session was set into motion, Senate Secretary Qasim Samad Khan announced that the newly-elected senators would take their oath of office. He then said that the session would resume “in the afternoon” to elect the chairman and the deputy chairman. The prominent among those who took oath were: Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani, Anwaarul Haq Kakar, Syed Mohsin Naqvi, Abdul Qadoos Bizenjo, Finance Minister Aurangzeb and ANP’s Aimal Wali. The newly-elected senators then exchanged pleasantries and signed the roll of members. The session was then briefly adjourned before the election of the chairman and the deputy chairman. In the meantime, PPP’s Saleem Mandviwalla told news website that Yousaf Raza Gillani and Syedal Nasir were elected unopposed as Senate chairman and as the deputy
chairman, respectively. Later, secretary Qasim confirmed the same. When the session resumed at 12:30pm, Dar said that only Gillani’s nomination papers had been received, therefore, he was elected the Senate chairman. The PML-N leader then administered the oath to Gillani. The PTI’s contention, as stated by Senator Ali Zafar on the floor of the House, was that the session for electing the chairman and deputy chairman should be postponed until after Senate elections were held in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He then announced the PTI would not participate in the election for the top slots. “Without 11 senators of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the election process of chairman and deputy chairman of the Senate is unconstitutional. Under the Constitution, the President’s address is required at the beginning of the parliamentary year of the Senate and the National
Assembly and the President cannot address the joint session of the Parliament until the swearing-in of the senators. It is worth mentioning here that President Asif Ali Zardari will address a joint session of the Parliament on April 16 as per constitutional requirement. Almost a month ago, the Upper House became dysfunctional following the retirement of half of its members. On April 2, elections on vacant Senate seats were held in Islamabad, Punjab and Sindh, but not in PTI-ruled KP — where polls were delayed on 11 seats due to provincial assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati’s refusal to administer the oath to opposition lawmakers on reserved seats. These seats were doled out to the PPP, PML-N, and other parties after the ECP rejected a plea by the PTI and the Sunni Ittehad Council for the allocation of these seats.
Nonetheless, the ruling coalition in the Centre, led by the PML-N, swept the elections, securing 19 seats. After the elections, the coalition controls 59 of the 85 seats at present. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) meanwhile nominated Syedal Khan Nasir as its candidate for the post of deputy Senate Chairman. He is a PML-N leader from Balochistan. Nawaz Sharif announced the name of Syedal Khan in consultation with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Despite holding the Senate elections on April 2, the senate meeting could not be convened even after three days passed as per the constitutional binding. Anyhow, the first meeting of the Senate was called by the President today (on April 9). Unlike the prevailing tradition, the swearing of members and election of chairman and deputy chairman will be done on the same day. Pakistan People’s Party has nominated Yousuf Raza Gilani as Chairman Senate. PTI terms Senate chairman, dy chairman election ‘illegal’ The Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) on Tuesday declared the election of the Senate chairman and deputy chairman as “illegal and unconstitutional.” Addressing the upper house before election, Barrister Ali Zafar said that the Senate was incomplete as Senators from KhyberPakhtunkhwa province yet to be elected. “Thus, the election of the chairman and deputy chairman of the house has been an unconstitutional and illegal step”. Senator Ali Zafar pleaded for adjournment of the Senate session. ” The election of senate chairman and deputy chairman could harm the federation,” he warned. In his address, SIC Senator Hamid Khan said that unless Khyber Pakhtunkhwa elections complete, the house will remain incomplete. He called the election of the senate chairman and deputy chairman as unconstitutional. “It is a disputed matter and has been pending in the Islamabad High Court,” Hamid Khan said.
PM Shehbaz announces expansion of Daanish Schools to GB, AJK, Sindh ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
US calls on Pakistan and India to resolve issues through dialogue WASHINGTON
STAFF REPORT
In the midst of mounting tensions between Pakistan and India, the United States issued a call on Monday for both nations to steer clear of escalation and seek resolution through dialogue. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller emphasized the importance of avoiding escalation and finding common ground through dialogue, refraining from commenting on specific allegations while urging diplomatic solutions. Recent statements by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, acknowledging India’s policy of targeting individuals in Pakistan, have added to the tensions. Singh’s remarks followed a report in The Guardian alleging Indian involvement in targeted killings in Pakistan since 2020, a claim echoed by Canada and the United States. The Foreign Office in Pakistan condemned Singh’s comments as “hyper-nationalistic sentiments” driven by electoral motives, urging international accountability for what it described as India’s illegal actions. As tensions persist, diplomatic efforts remain crucial in defusing the situation and preventing further escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday announced the federal government would establish Daanish Schools in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and remote areas of Balochistan and Sindh to deliver quality education to children coming from economically disadvantaged families. “This is not the fault of the poor children if their parents cannot afford quality education despite working hard or those who are orphans…If the iron gates of the Atchison College or Grammar School are obstructing their way (to quality education), the door of Daanish Schools are open for them,” the prime minister said while addressing a ceremony after inspecting the site for a Daanish School being established in the Kuri area of the federal capital. To be established over 30 acres of land, the school will provide free education and accommodation to the children from the capital city and its suburbs with a vision to provide equal opportunity for quality education. Calling the alarming figure of 26 million out-of-school children “criminal negligence”, the prime minister said Quaid-e-Azam’s dream about Pakistan would remain unfulfilled without making arrangements for their education. “There can be no bigger national service or the fulfilment of the responsibility than enrolling these out-of-school children,” he said and announced that the federal government would fully bear the expenses of constructing Daanish Schools in AJK, GB, remote areas of Balochistan and Sindh. The premier also announced that the federal government would declare an education emergency in the country and would
dole out all possible resources to educate children from disadvantaged families. He told the gathering of federal ministers, bureaucrats, heads of international institutions, educationists and students that the Daanish Schools project was initiated under PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif’s vision and that the students were making an impact in debate, sports and other fields internationally. Recounting the journey of the visionary project, the prime minister said they resisted the immense criticism of the initiative just to support the children from low-income groups with quality education at par with elite education institutions. He also recalled that under Nawaz’s leadership, the PML-N government in the past gave away laptops to the students which became an earning tool for them. Besides, the then Punjab government also recruited around 200,000 teachers purely on merit. The PM said the groundbreaking of Is-
lamabad’s Daanish School would be performed soon and asked the education ministry to ensure its completion within 6-8 months. He also announced to personally inaugurate the Daanish Schools to be established in AJK, GB and Balochistan. In his address, Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui lauded the vision behind Daanish Schools and said the scope of the project was being expanded to other parts of the country. He requested the prime minister to declare an education emergency to address the challenges and shortcomings in the education sector and that every vacant building should be used for teaching purposes. Comparing the ageing nations of the US, Japan and Germany, he said Pakistan was rich with youth bulge and the government should utilise its resources to skill train them to make them employable in the international market.
NOTICE The offices of Pakistan Today will remain closed from April 10, 2024 (Wednesday) to April 11, 2024 (Thursday) on account of Eidul Fitr. Hence, the paper will not be published on April 11, 2024 (Thursday) and April 12, 2024 (Friday). The Pakistan Today office will reopen on April 12, 2024 (Friday). We wish our readers a happy Eid.
Nation celebrates Eidul Fitr today as Shawwal moon sighted ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
The crescent for the Islamic month of Shawwal has been sighted and the nation will celebrate Eidul Fitr on Wednesday (today), announced by Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad on Tuesday. The announcement came after a meeting of the committee, which included members from various government bodies such as the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Meteorological Department, and the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), held in Islamabad. Provincial committees also convened in Lahore, Karachi, Quetta, and Peshawar to gather testimonies for moon sighting. According to Auqaf Zonal officials, four testimonies were received from Sheikhupura, Sarai Alamgir, Sukkur and Karachi. Testimonies of moon sighting were also received from Kasur and Gujranwala, they added. Prof Abdul Ghafoor of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Zonal Committee, while speaking to the media, said that they received testimonies of moon sighting from Abbottabad, Peshawar, Dir, Rabat and Sarai Norang, adding that more than 60 testimonies have been submitted to the central committee.
IBC condemns ‘baseless reference’ against IHC’s Justice Mohsin Kayani ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
The Islamabad Bar Council (IBC) on Tuesday condemned and denounced a “baseless” and “frivolous reference” against Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) senior puisne judge Mohsin Akhtar Kayani. Justice Kayani is among the six judges who recently wrote a letter to the SJC, against the alleged “harassment and interference” in the judicial affairs by state institutions. In the letter, the judges had accused the country’s intelligence apparatus of interference in judicial affairs, including attempts to pressure judges through abduction and torture
of their relatives and secret surveillance inside their homes. On Monday, a former official of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) had moved the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) against Justice Kayani. Former IHCBA general secretary Mohammad Waqas alleged that IHC Justice Kayani “waged a war against the forces of Pakistan in a planned manner by inducing and convincing other judges of high court”. His complaint to the SJC said that “the action of the learned judge is not initiated in good faith as he is facing ‘references’ questioning his integrity and conduct as a judge”. An earlier reference revolved around the lawyers of the chamber where Justice
Kayani was practising before his appointment to the IHC. The complaint claimed that intelligence agencies were required to keep a check on the “criminal intents” of judges, but they had failed to do so. It claimed that the letter of the IHC judges had attempted to provoke the sentiments of the people affiliated with a political party and, in fact had maligned the prestigious office of a judge by indulging in political affairs for his personal gains. It requested proceedings against the judge under Article 209 of the Constitution. The article empowers the SJC to carry out inquiries into the capacity and conduct of Supreme Court and high court judges.
In a statement released today, the IBC said Vice Chairman Adil Aziz Qazi expressed deep concern and strongly condemned the filing of the “frivolous reference” against Justice Kayani. He added that the filing of the “baseless reference” was deemed to be an “affront to the esteemed judiciary” and was regarded as a “blatant abuse” of the legal process. The statement said Justice Kayani had served the judiciary with the “utmost dedication, impartiality and integrity”, adding that the judge’s “unwavering commitment to upholding the rule of law and dispensing justice fairly is commendable and beyond reproach”. It said it was “imperative” for the legal
community as the guardians of justice to “vehemently condemn such malicious attempts to undermine the judiciary and tarnish the reputation of our esteemed judges”, adding that “frivolous references” not only wasted valuable judicial resources but also eroded public trust in the legal system. The press release said that the IBC unequivocally condemned the filing of the complaint, stood in solidarity with the judge and reaffirmed the body’s unwavering support for judicial independence and integrity. “Let it be known that the legal fraternity will not tolerate any attempts to undermine the sanctity of our judicial institutions,” the press release concluded.