By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz’s (PML-N) Syedal Khan Nasir were elected unopposed as the Senate chairman and deputy chairman, respectively, on Tuesday, in a session that saw 41 newly elected Senators take their oaths amid protests by Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers.
Gilani of the Pakistan Peoples Party, backed by a power-sharing accord with the PML-N, was set to claim the Senate chairmanship unchallenged.
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, elected on a technocrat seat from Islamabad, presided over the session.
The PTI, led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, boycotted the session, insisting that the elections be deferred until after the Senate elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The party’s stance was that the Senate was incomplete due to the postponement of polls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where newly elected lawmakers on reserved seats were yet to take their oaths.
Despite the boycott, the ruling alliance’s numerical superiority was evident, with 85 senators already elected out of a total of 96. The Election Commission of Pakistan had delayed elections on 11 seats from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, citing procedural issues.
PTI leader Senator Ali Zafar called for the postponement of the Senate election, labeling it “unconstitutional” until the house was fully constituted.
He cited Article 59 of the Constitution, which stipulates the presence of all 96 members for the election of the Senate’s chairman.
“Until the senators from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are duly elected and present here, we will not accept this illegal election.”
In response, Law Minister Azam Nazeem Tarar cited Article 60 of the Constitution, which calls for the immediate election of the Senate chairman and deputy chairman upon vacancy, asserting that the house is constitutionally complete.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, however, welcomed the election results, lauding them as a “continuation of the democratic process.”
In a statement shared via his social media X platform, PM Sharif expressed confidence that the newly elected leaders would uphold the “supremacy of the Constitution and contribute to the country’s development.” The role of the Senate is highly important for the strengthening of the federal units and the observance of democratic values.”
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