340th Session of the Senate

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 Highlights

  1. The Senate met for 5 hours and 15 minutes in 2 Sittings
  2. Two Government Bills were passed
  3. A condolence Resolution was adopted

Summary

Two (2) Government Bills were passed during the 340th Session of the Senate. A condolence Resolution, expressing deep sorrow and condolences over the death of former Senator Hidayat Ullah and his colleagues due to a tragic bomb blast, was also passed. The longest discussion, lasting 45 minutes, was on The Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2024. Two (2) reports were also presented during the Session.

Working Hours

The 340th session of the Senate began on July 04, 2024 and was prorogued on the next day, July 05, 2024. Two (2) sittings were convened for a total of 5 hours and 15 minutes. The sitting convened on July 04 was adjourned after meeting for 2 hours and 29 minutes while the sitting on July 05, 2024 lasted just 2 hours and 49 minutes before it was adjourned. The Schedule of the Sittings is given in Appendix A.

Agenda of the Session

71% of the agenda items were disposed of during the session.

Quorum

Quorum was pointed out once in 2 sittings during the 340th session of the Senate. On July 04, 2024 the session was adjourned after quorum was pointed out and the House was not found in order. 60 Senators were recorded as present during the sitting on July o4, 2024.

Attendance

On average, 65% of Senators were recorded as present during the session.

Senator Syed Shibli Faraz, (KP, PTI), Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, attended 2 or 100% sittings. Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Leader of the House (ICT, PML-N) attended only the 2nd sitting of the 340th session of the Senate.

Figure 1: Attendance

Top 5 Vocal Senators

Senator Syed Shibli Faraz, (KP, PTI) Leader of the Opposition, was the most vocal Senator during the session with a recorded talk time of 30 minutes. He was followed by Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar (Punjab, PML-N), Federal Minister for Law, Justice, Parliamentary Affairs, and Human Rights, who spoke for 28 minutes. Senator Syed Ali Zafar, (Punjab, PTI) spoke for 27 minutes. Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar (ICT, PML-N), Leader of the House, spoke for 12 minutes. Senator Kamran Murtaza, (Balochistan, JUIP) spoke for 11 minutes.

Figure 2: Top 5 Vocal Senators

Legislation

Two Government Bills were passed during the session. No Private Members Bills were introduced or passed.

The Elections (Amendment) Act, 2024 was introduced in the House by Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar (Punjab PML-N), Federal Minister for Law, Justice, Parliamentary Affairs, and Human Rights on July 04, 2024 and passed on the same day. The National Assembly had passed this bill on June 28, 2024. The bill aimed to restore the original provision of Section 140, allowing retired Judges of High Courts to be eligible for appointment as members of Election Tribunals to hear election petitions concerning the National Assembly, Senate, and Provincial Assemblies. The bill was passed on July 04, 2024 and received assent by the President on July 08, 2024.

The State-Owned Enterprises (Governance and Operations) (Amendment) Act, 2024 (Act No. VII of 2024) was introduced and passed on July 05, 2024. Earlier Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, (Punjab, PPPP), Chairman, Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue, presented report of the Committee on the Bill to amend the State-Owned Enterprises (Governance and Operations) Act, 2023 [The State-Owned Enterprises (Governance and Operations) (Amendment) Bill, 2024]. This bill was also passed by the National Assembly on July 10, 2024. The bill stated that it aimed to reconstitute the Boards of SOEs to better align with the reform initiatives aimed at restructuring and transformation as well as privatization of certain entitles entities. Additionally, this bill authorized the government to remove independent directors from state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and amended the SOE Act 2023 to ease this process by eliminating the need for an inquiry and allowing removal based on the recommendations by the committee. It also revised Section 4 to narrow the SOE policy scope and added Section 10(3A) for evaluating directors’ performance. These changes aimed to resolve issues in overhauling the boards of eight DISCOs, which faced resistance and legal challenges due to their statutory tenures as well as address governance concerns amid substantial financial losses and alleged political influence in prior appointments. The bill received assent by the President on July 18, 2024.

Ordinances

No ordinance was laid during the Session.

Report laid before the Senate

Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar (Punjab PML-N), Federal Minister for Law, Justice, Parliamentary Affairs, and Human Rights laid the Annual Report of the National Economic Council (NEC) for the Financial Year 2020-21, as required under clause (5) of Article 156 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Resolution

Senator Kamran Murtaza, (Balochistan, JUIP) moved the condolence resolution to express deep sorrow and condolences over the death of former Senator Hidayat Ullah due to a tragic bomb blast. The resolution highlighted the late Senator’s contributions and dedication to the people of the tribal areas during his tenure. The resolution also called for urgent and effective actions by the Federal and Provincial Governments to address the ongoing threat of terrorism. It concluded with a message of sympathy for the bereaved family and prayers for the departed soul. The Resolution was passed by the House unanimously on July 04, 2024.

Analysis

The 340th Session of the Senate primarily focused on discussing the Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the State-Owned Enterprises (Governance and Operations) (Amendment) Bill, 2024. Members from the opposition criticized the Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2024, tore up copies of the bill, and staged a walkout. Despite their criticism, the bill was passed without being referred to a Standing Committee, as had been demanded by the opposition. Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar (Punjab PML-N), Federal Minister for Law, Justice, Parliamentary Affairs, and Human Rights addressed the session highlighting a proposed amendment aimed at expediting election-related petitions referred to election tribunals within a six-month timeframe. However, Senator Tarar also highlighted that the government had reverted to the original provision outlined in Section 140 of the Election Act, 2017.

Senator Syed Shibli Faraz, Leader of the Opposition (KP, PTI), criticized the amendment, alleging that the bill was designed to benefit the ruling party. He accused the government of attempting to control the election tribunals, stating that the current government “didn’t want the election tribunals to be independent.” He also drew attention to the Senate’s incomplete representation from one province.[1]

Senator Farooq Hamid Naek (Sindh, PPPP) supported the bill emphasizing that according to the Constitution, it was the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)’s responsibility to establish election tribunals for hearing petitions from contesting candidates. Senator Farooq highlighted that after the 2013 general election, tribunals comprising retired judges had been established and successfully disposed off over 80% of the petitions. However, following the 2018 general election, only 20% of the petitions were resolved when serving judges of High Courts were appointed as heads of election tribunals. Naek underscored the heavy workload of current High Court judges and their limited time for electoral appeals.[2]

The House also passed the State-Owned Enterprises (Governance and Operations) (Amendment) Bill, 2024 which was criticized by the opposition. Senator Syed Ali Zafar, (Punjab, PTI) raised objections, arguing that passing the law in its current state would undermine the three-year term security for SOE board directors, a crucial aspect of corporate governance. Senator Zafar claimed that the government aimed to dismiss board members without giving them show-cause notices and replace them with favorites, possibly intending to undervalue assets and privatize profitable institutions. “This is the underlying intent,” he remarked. In response, Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar (Punjab, PML-N), Federal Minister for Law, Justice, Parliamentary Affairs, and Human Rights, defended the amendment, stating that the appointing authority always retains the power to remove board members. He clarified that the amendment aimed to streamline processes and improve SOE board efficiency. Senator Tarar emphasized that laws must adapt and that Parliament has the right to amend them as needed. He assured that the proposed amendment aligns with the Constitution and the objectives of the Act, emphasizing transparency and governance in the management of state-owned enterprises.[3]

Time consumed on Discussion of Policy Issues

The quality of the time used during the 340th Senate session can be gauged by analysing the time consumed on discussing key issues of democratic governance. The time dedicated to discussion on policy issues was 1 hours and 50 minutes. The maximum time consumed in discussion was on the Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2024 for 45 minutes.

It must be noted that PILDAT has classified that a policy issue is such that involves any recommendation on devising a policy. Any discussion on an issue that does not go beyond mere criticism or highlighting a concern does not fall into policy issue and is treated as discussion or time spent on non-policy issues.

References

  1. “After NA, Senate passes bill on appointment of retired judges to election tribunals,” Dawn online, July 04, 2024 accessed July 23, 2024. https://www.dawn.com/news/1843813. ↑

  2. “Senate passes Election Act Amendment Bill amidst opposition protest,” The Express Tribune online, July 04, 2024 accessed July 23, 2024. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2476678/senate-passes-election-act-amendment-bill-amidst-opposition-protest. ↑

  3. Mumtaz Alvi, “Senate passes bill on state enterprises” The News International online, July 06, 2024, accessed July 24, 2024. https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1206878-senate-passes-bill-on-state-enterprises. ↑