Pak Senate to invite PM, chief justice, military leaders to discuss post-Panama scenario

Lahore [Pakistan],August 11 (ANI): Pakistan Senate has invited Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, the military bureaucracy and the chief justice for an inter-institutional dialogue to strengthen the Parliament and to debate the situation after the Panamagate verdict.

The Senate will be debating the post-Panama case scenario and the measures to strengthen the Parliament with the top brass of the three most powerful institutions of the state so an inter-institutional dialogue should be held in this regard.

Senate chairman Raza Rabbani on Thursday said a whole committee session will be held to deliberate upon the suggestions to strengthen democracy, he said, adding that the session would continue till substantial suggestions are not agreed, the Dawn reported.

The chairman further said that as the army operates under the civil government so the military bureaucracy will be invited through the Prime Minister.

Rabbani argued that the Senate has been functioning with the lowest level of powers as compared to the civil administration and the judiciary. He claimed that the judiciary, the dictatorship and the executive targeted the Senate separately.

He called upon the Prime Minister to issue policy statements in the Senate rather than in press conferences and political conventions. Listing out the steps to strengthen the Senate, Rabbani said that the majority of decisions were being taken out of the Senate, the details of special agreements and big loans were also not presented before the Senate, internal and external security related issues were not presented for debate on the floor. He further said that the ruling of the chair goes unheeded.

PPP Senator Dr Kareem Khawaja, in his speech, claimed that the judiciary has always supported the General Headquarters (GHQ). He was of the view that the judiciary should be subordinate to the Parliament. He also claimed that the foreign policy is also out of the Parliament's domain.

PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar raised objection over the credibility of those judges who took oath under the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO), saying that the judges violated the Constitution. "Are those judges who took oath under PCO sadiq and ameen (truthful and honest)," he questioned.

"Are truthfulness and honesty not applicable for senior military officials," he asked.(ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI