Daily Times

Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani Tuesday underscored the need to make the committee system more robust and efficient to effectively perform legislative, accountability and oversight functions of the Upper House and contribute towards good governance in the country.

While presiding over a meeting of the Council of Committees Chairpersons at the Parliament House, he said that Senate is the House of Federation and it must get more powers to become an effective voice of the federating units and marginalized segments of the society. “We will initiate consultation with government to make Senate more powerful and enable it to contribute more efficiently towards strengthening democratic foundations of the country,” he remarked.

Agreeing with the proposals of the committee chairpersons, Senate chairman said that capacity building of the members and the staff is high on priority and proposals are being considered to enhance capacity through trainings and orientations which may have a long lasting impact on the performance of both the houses and the committees. He said the Senate Secretariat is providing all possible assistance to the committees for smooth execution of the legislative business.

Sanjrani appreciated the Senate Secretariat for excellent service delivery despite scant resources and constraints. He particularly mentioned the recent Asian Parliamentary Assembly meetings of Political Affairs Committee held in Gwadar in which the Senate Secretariat delivered against heavy odds, challenges and constraints. Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla, Leader of the House in Senate Shibli Faraz and Leader of Opposition in Senate Raja Zafarul Haq also emphasized the need to further strengthen committees of Senate.

The meeting was attended by minister for parliamentary affairs, chairpersons of senate standing committees, functional committees and special committees, Secretary Senate Amjed Pervez Malik and senior officers of the Senate Secretariat.

Published in Daily Times, November 14^th 2018.