Daily Times

The Senate witnessed squabbling between the treasury and opposition benches on Friday as the PTI called out PPP Senator Palwasha Khan for chairing the session in the presence of Senate Deputy Chairman Syedal Khan Nasir.

Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani presided over the proceedings but went away 40 minutes into the session, upon which Senator Palwasha began chairing the session.

Soon after, PTI Senator Fauzia Arshad said it was regrettable that Palwasha was presiding over the session while the deputy chairman was present. Palwasha replied it was the chairman’s prerogative to make that decision, adding that the deputy chairman arrived after she had already begun chairing the session.

Amidst Senator Arshad’s interruption, Palwasha repeatedly told the opposition benches to decide among themselves who they wanted to speak next. Continuing with a similar line of criticism as his fellow PTI senator, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Shibli Faraz said: “Don’t make a mockery of the House and don’t damage its sanctity. This is no way that you seat the deputy chairman, who has a role in the chairman’s absence, and you make him a decoration piece.”

The opposition leader and Palwasha had a heated exchange as the latter said the deputy chairman came in after her while Faraz maintained that Nasir was already seated in the Senate. Palwasha asked the opposition leader to mind his tone to which the senator questioned the way she was speaking to him. “I am speaking to you the same way you’re speaking to me,” she retorted as she turned to the treasury benches and ordered Rana Mehmoodul Hassan to be given the mic. As clamouring continued from the opposition benches, Palwashed chastised them, saying: “Fine, continue to create a ruckus. I choose to ignore you.”

She subsequently ordered that PPP Senator Farooq Naek be given the mic to speak, saying: “I do not fall for this hooliganism, and this cannot go on.”

As Naik attempted to speak, Faraz interrupted and said it was “shameful” that the PML-N sent its own chairman out of the House to which Palwasha retorted: “It’s alright, he doesn’t have an issue with this.”

Asking which rule was violated by Palwasha presiding over the session, Naek said: “The Senate chairman gives a list of presiding officers. Who presides in the absence is the prerogative of the chairman. He can tell any presiding officer to preside over the session. And the way you are presiding right now, this is within the Senate rules.” He reiterated that there was no violation of any rule with her presiding over the session.

Agreeing with him, Palwasha said: “The purpose of this [uproar] is just disruption.”

She repeatedly asserted that no one could compel her to run or adjourn the session through “force and bullying”.

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Senator Attaur Rehman noted that the Senate session begins after the chairman and deputy chairman have arrived. He echoed what other senators said earlier on, that it was incorrect for someone to become a presiding officer while the deputy chairman was present in the House.

“It would be better if you call the deputy chairman to come sit in this seat, that will be appropriate, otherwise, we will walk out against this behaviour,” Rehman said.

Palwasha responded that she was made a presiding officer in accordance with the rules. The opposition benches began sloganeering with ‘chor, chor’ (thief, thief) while PML-N Senator Talal Chaudhry said: “I want to thank the opposition leader and PTI that they have so much love for the PML-N deputy chairman. They only have to protest and don’t look at the rules or situation, they only play to the gallery.”

The presiding officer subsequently adjourned the meeting till 5pm on Monday.

Meanwhile, the session also debated the recent issue of women having to carry their ex-husband’s name on passports with Senator Samina Mumtaz calling it “ridiculous” and questioning what kind of law it was.

She said the identity card should bear the father’s name and not the husband’s.

“Instead of improving our passport rankings, we’re discriminating against women,” she said. “If you want women to carry the names of their ex-husbands, then make men carry the names of their ex-wives too.”

Senator Riaz Pirzada noted that the high court had struck down the proposal in an order and that the high court had given women the option to add their father’s name.

He suggested that the matter be referred to the standing committee if there were to be consultation on it.

Senator Faraz said that family laws also needed to be updated since the matter posed a problem to several women and families. He also suggested referring the matter to the standing committee.

Agreeing with him, Senator Rehman said the opinion of the Islamic Ideology Council should also be taken. Women senators objected to Rehman’s proposals. Chairman Gilani said that women and minorities came under his jurisdiction and referred the matter to the standing committee.

Meanwhile, in the National Assembly session, PTI MNA Shahid Ahmed sought details from Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on all cases registered against party founder Imran Khan. The MNA submitted questions to the National Assembly secretariat to obtain all details. He sought a reply from Naqvi on the number of cases registered against the PTI founder, the nature of each case, the number of cases he was arrested in, a brief description of each case and the number and nature of cases that required his arrest.