ISLAMABAD - Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani, on the assurance of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar that in future the government would ensure presence of the cabinet members in the upper house to respond to the questions of senators, withdrew his decision of quitting the office.
After meeting the Senate chairman, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar told media persons in a brief chat that Raza Rabbani had agreed to continue and would resume the proceedings of the upper house of the Parliament from Monday.
Ishaq Dar said the Senate chairman would continue to hold his office. He would convene the Senate session on Monday and would himself preside over it, Dar said and added he had assured him on behalf of the prime minister that the his genuine concerns regarding the smooth running of the upper house proceedings would be addressed and that the PM had already given necessary instructions in this connection.
Later, after consulting the parliamentary parties’ heads in the upper house, Raza Rabbani reconvened the Senate meeting o on April 17 at 4pm.
The sources aware of the deliberations of the meeting between the Senate chairman and the finance minister, which the former had shared with the parliamentary parties heads in the upper house, Ishaq Dar assured Raza Rabbani on behalf of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that all his genuine concerns, particularly relating to the indifference of ministers towards the proceedings of the upper house would be duly addressed.
These sources said that Ishaq Dar assured the chairman on behalf of the prime minister that the premier would himself attend the proceedings of the Senate in the coming days and would be ensuring that the cabinet members would remain available in the upper house to answer the queries of the members.
During the course of discussion, Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani had also contacted the parliamentary parties’ heads, including PPP’s Ch Aitzaz Ahsan, PTI’s Azam Sawati, JI Chief Sirajul Haq, Senator Taj Haider, Usman Khan Kakar, Sardar Azam Khan Mosakhel, Senator Kalsoom Perveen and others to have their input on the matter and all of them agreed that the Senate proceedings should be resumed on the PM’s assurance.
Rabbani on Friday threatened to quit as the chairman and adjourned the proceedings of the upper house sine die on the perpetual absence of ministers the sessions to answer the questions of the parliamentarians.
The chairman was so angry that he had even decided not to use the official vehicle and protocol on the way back home, but Leader of House in Senate Raja Zafarul Haq persuaded him not to do so and, on his request, he used the official vehicle for going home. But he decided not to alter his decision of stepping down as the Senate chairman as well as resuming the proceedings of the upper house.
Sajid Zia from Lahore adds: Earlier in the day, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq telephoned Rabbani and shared his concerns over repeated absence of the ministers from the parliament during the session for responding to the questions and a non-serious attitude of the government to ensure their presence.
Talking to media persons in Lahore, Ayaz Sadiq said he would not let Raza Rabbani quit the office; instead, he would persuade him back to his job.
Rabbani agrees to resume work
ABRAR SAEED