Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have agreed to remove Senate Chairman Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani.
Sources said that the understanding was reached in a meeting between PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Sunday in Lahore. One of the participants of the meeting also confirmed that both parties had agreed to oust the Senate chairman and that the name of new candidate would be considered after discussion with all opposition parties.
Incumbent Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani was elected with the support of PPP and Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) last year as he had bagged 57 votes against 46 by Raja Zafarul Haq of PML-N.
PML-N is still a majority party in the Senate. Interestingly, the Nawaz league had offered PPP to re-elect Raza Rabbani as Senate chairman but then it opted to join hands with PTI in the elections.
It is learnt that the opposition in the Senate is in a comfortable position to remove the Senate chairman and bring in a replacement of its choice. The chairman senate’s post is significant to regulate the upper house. Likewise, in the absence of President of Pakistan, Senate chairman is the acting president of the country.
A majority of 53 members is required to remove the Senate chairman. Currently, PPP, PML-N, National Party and Jamiat Ulema i Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) have 46 members in the Senate, while there are 29 independent senators. The Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) has two members, while the Awami National Party (ANP), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and PML-Functional have one member each. The ruling PTI has 14 members. Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has five and Jamaat i Islami (JI) has two senators.