ISLAMABAD: Former Senate President Raza Rabbani called the President’s rejection of Dr. Arif Alvi to sign the summary to convene the constituent session of the National Assembly for a “terrorist attack” on the constitution.
“Pakistan’s constitution is threatened by terrorism; this time the presidential house has attempted a terrorist act,” Rabbani, a member of the PPP, said during the Senate session on Monday.
The Interim Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs gave the summary to the President and called for the opening of the NA session on Monday. Despite the request, Dr. Alvi exercised his constitutional powers to postpone the meeting for 15 days.
Dr. Alvi refused to allow it to start, ostensibly due to non-allocation of reserved seats to the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).
The SIC, a relatively unknown political entity, has emerged as a major party in the National Assembly and the Punjab provincial legislature after being joined by PTI-affiliated independent candidates last week.
However, this refusal sparked controversy as the PML-N claimed that after the February 29 deadline, the NA Speaker could convene the meeting independently.
Reacting to the development during the procedural challenge, Rabbani said the president’s refusal to convene the NA meeting was a flagrant violation of the constitution.
“Rejecting the Prime Minister’s summary for the National Assembly session is an unconstitutional act. The President violates Article 91 of the Constitution. He should not derail the democratic system and refrain from violating the Constitution,” he added.
PTI’s Senator Saifullah Abro noted that according to the constitution, the National Assembly should be convened within 21 days of the general election, while the Elections Act 2017 mandates the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to publish Form 45 on its website. within fourteen days of voting.
“The Honorable Member of the House should also raise this issue,” he noted.
Abro pointed out that the President is not calling the NA meeting because the ECP has not yet allocated the reserved SIC seats. “My question is, why is ECP dragging its heels on allotment of reserved seats?”
JI’s Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan had earlier noted that government institutions were consuming Rs 458.1 billion of taxpayers’ money with zero efficiency. The current model, he argued, prepares the poor and enriches the rich.
“Government losses have now reached ten percent of GDP, making state agencies unsustainable. If the government cannot manage these institutions, it should privatize them,” he suggested.
Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Solangi said the decision to privatize government institutions will ultimately be made by the elected government.
He mentioned that more than 200 institutions are facing losses, including departments related to power, finance and communication.
Referring to a finance ministry report, he said these institutions incur a loss of Rs 730 billion annually, while the total profit of profit-making institutions is around Rs 570 billion. The net loss is approximately Rs 160 billion.
“The loss entities include Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), National Highway Authority (NHA), Pakistan Railways and Pakistan Steel. The losses incurred by the NHA were close to Rs 170 billion,” he added.
