The 341th Session of the Senate, August 5 to August 9, 2024

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Highlights

  1. The Senate met for 3 hours and 15 minutes in 3 Sittings
  2. One Private Member Bill was passed
  3. Two Resolutions were passed

Summary

One (1) Private Member Bill was passed during the 341st Session of the Senate. This bill, The Elections (Second Amendment) Bill, 2024 appeared to be an attempt to push back on the Supreme Court’s decision of July 12, 2024 to give reserved seats to the PTI. The Senate passed two resolutions, with the first being a resolution to express grief and sorrow on the death of Hamas leader Mr. Ismail Hania in an attack by Israel in Tehran. This resolution also condemned the human rights violations committed by Israel. The second resolution was regarding “Youm-e-Istehsal,” (The Day to highlight exploitation) following India’s illegal and unilateral actions following August 5, 2019 and sought to highlight India’s continued attempts at changing the demographic structure and political landscape of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

Working Hours

The 341th Session of the Senate began on August 05, 2024 and was prorogued on August 09, 2024. Three (3) sittings were convened for a total of 3 hours and 15 minutes. The longest sitting was for 1 hour and 30 minutes whereas the shortest sitting was only for 35 minutes. The Schedule of the Sittings is given in Appendix A.

Agenda of the Session

Only 20% of the agenda items were completed during the session.

Quorum

Quorum was pointed out twice in 3 sittings during the 341th session of the Senate. On August 06, 2024 the session was adjourned after quorum was pointed out by Senator Nasir Mehmood (Punjab, PML-N). The count was made and there were just 19 members present hence the House was not found in order. On August 09, 2024, the Deputy Chairman Senate Mr. Syedaal Khan read out the Prorogation order received from the President after quorum was pointed out by Senator Dr. Zarqa Suharwardy Taimur (Punjab, PTI) and the House was not found in order. The attendance reported for August 09, 2024 was 34 Senators.

Attendance

On average, 58% of Senators were recorded as present during the session. Senator Syed Shibli Faraz, (KP, PTI), Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, attended 3 or 100% sittings. Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Leader of the House (ICT, PML-N), Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, attended no sitting of the 341th 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 45 minutes and 46 seconds. He was followed by Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar (Punjab, PML-N), Federal Minister for Law, Justice, Parliamentary Affairs, and Human Rights with a talk time of 29 minutes. Senator Syed Ali Zafar, (Punjab, PTI) spoke for 23 minutes. Senator Palwasha Mohammad Zai Khan (Sindh, PPPP) spoke for 12 minutes while Senator Sherry Rehman (Sindh, PPPP) spoke for 11 minutes.

Figure 2: Top 5 Vocal Senators

 Legislation

No Government Bill was introduced or passed. One Private Member Bill was passed during the Session.

Senator Muhammad Tallal Badar (Punjab, PML-N) moved the Bill to amend the Election Act, 2017 [The Elections (Second Amendment) Bill, 2024] as passed by the National Assembly on August 06, 2024. The Bill was by introduced by Mr. Bilal Azhar Kayani, MNA (NA-60 Jhelum-I, Punjab, PML-N) and Ms. Zeb Jaffar, MNA (Punjab, PML-N) on July 30, 2024. This Bill was taken into consideration and was discussed in the Senate. The Elections (Second Amendment) Bill, 2024 reinforces the restriction on independent candidates from joining a party after the legally required period has passed and imposes stringent deadlines on parties for submitting lists of candidates for reserved seats. Mr. Asif Ali Zardari, President of Pakistan, gave the assent for this bill on August 07, 2024.

Ordinances

No ordinance was laid during the Session.

Resolutions

Two (2) Resolutions were passed by the House. Both Resolutions were passed on August 05, 2024 during the first sitting.

The first Resolution was moved by Senator Palwasha Mohammad Zai Khan (Sindh, PPPP). This resolution denounced human rights abuses, the unprovoked bombing of Israel in Beirut, the slaughter of innocent civilians in Palestine, and the profound regret and sorrow expressed over the martyrdom of distinguished Hamas leader Mr. Ismail Hania in an attack by Israeli Zionists in Tehran. As per the resolution, the Pakistani Senate fervently urges all nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and Muslim nations in particular to band together in order to oppose and constrain Israel’s terrorist agenda, secure the easing of the siege of Gaza, and deliver prompt assistance. This Resolution was passed by the Senate unanimously.

The second Resolution was moved by Senator Syed Ali Zafar (Punjab, PTI) in regards to India’s unlawful and unilateral activities on August 5, 2019 to further solidify its authority over Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). This resolution was to observe “Youm-e-Istehsal” and demonstrate support for the oppressed Kashmiri people in their righteous fight to exercise their right to self-determination and passed unanimously.

Analysis

The 341st Session of the Senate primarily focused on discussing the Elections Act, 2017 [The Elections (Second Amendment) Bill, 2024]. This Bill was already passed in the National Assembly on August o6, 2024. The Elections (Second Amendment) Bill, 2024 appears as the government’s apparent response to the Supreme Court’s ruling to allot reserved seats to the PTI. It reinforces rigorous deadlines on parties for submitting lists of candidates for reserved seats and prohibits independent candidates from joining a party after the legally mandated period had elapsed. The National and Provincial Assemblies’ seat distribution is governed by Articles 51 and 106 of Pakistan’s Constitution, which also permit independent candidates to affiliate with a political party within three days of the announcement of election results. This is also allowed by the Elections Act of 2017, but only for the time frame mentioned. In order to maintain continuity with the Constitution, and current regulations, the proposed measure would make it clear that independent candidates cannot join a political party once this initial period has elapsed.

During the passing of the bill, opposition members strongly protested in the Senate. “Parliament is supreme, and if any institution interferes, I will stand with parliament,” declared Senator Syed Ali Zafar (Punjab, PTI), “The judiciary set a poor precedent by ruling on the election symbols issue,” he added.[1]

Furthermore, the session also passed a resolution regarding the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. The Senate unanimously condemned Haniyeh’s killing in an Israeli airstrike in Tehran on July 31, 2024. The resolution expressed deep sorrow over his death, labelling Israel a “criminal and terrorist state.” The Senate urged Islamic countries to unite against Israeli actions, lift the blockade on Gaza, and provide urgent humanitarian aid to Palestinians suffering under continuous bombardments. “International bodies are also speaking out against Israel’s brutality. We need to address Israeli aggression in every session,” said Senator Sherry Rehman (Sindh, PPPP). “Israel and India have been given a free hand to perpetrate atrocities worldwide. Children, the elderly, and women are being indiscriminately targeted by Israeli attacks” she added.[2]

The resolution also drew parallels between Israeli actions in Palestine and India’s actions in Kashmir, describing them as modern genocide projects​ and the Senate then also passed a resolution reaffirming Pakistan’s support for the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination. This resolution marked the 5th anniversary of India’s revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status on August 5, 2019. It also emphasized that any political process, subservient to the Indian Constitution, cannot be a substitute to the exercise of the right to self-determination, and UN should immediately take action on Indian attempts to alter the political and demographic landscape of IIOJK.

Time consumed on Discussion of Policy Issues

The quality of the time used during the National Assembly session can be gauged by analysing the time consumed on discussing key issues of democratic governance. The most important policy discussion was on the The Elections (Second Amendment) Bill, 2024 . The time dedicated on discussion of this bill lasted for 40 minutes. [3]

 References

  1. “Senate passes Election Act Amendment Bill 2024 after NA approval,” Express Tribune online, August 06 2024, accessed August 10 2024. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2486006/senate-passes-election-act-amendment-bill-2024-after-na-approval ↑

  2. “Senate unanimously passes resolution on Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s martyrdom,” Express Tribune online August 05, 2024, accessed August 10, 2024. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2485734/senate-unanimously-passes-resolution-on-hamas-leader-ismail-haniyehs-martyrdom ↑

  3. It must be noted that PILDAT has classified that a policy issue is such that involves any legislation or a recommendation on devising a policy. ↑