PPP raises legal concerns over Senate session requisition

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has raised legal concerns regarding the alleged withdrawal of signatures by five members whose identities have not been officially disclosed by the Senate Secretariat. The Secretariat, however, argues that the requisition has become null and void.

According to Dawn.com, in a letter addressed to Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, PPP Senator Taj Haider, the initiator of the requisition signed by 28 members, expressed his concerns.

He revealed that the Secretariat had informed him that the requisition failed to meet the required number of signatures for summoning the Senate session.

Senator Haider also referred to a telephonic conversation with Chairman Sanjrani, during which it was conveyed that five senators who had initially signed the requisition had subsequently withdrawn their signatures. He requested the Secretariat to provide the names of these senators but noted that his September 25 request remained unanswered in this regard.

The senator raised legal questions even if it were assumed that the allegations of signature withdrawal were accurate. He emphasised that neither the Constitution nor the Senate’s rules of procedure and conduct allow for the withdrawal of signatures from a requisition once they have been validly affixed.

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He queried whether the alleged withdrawal by the five senators had been officially communicated to the Senate Secretariat in writing or was it solely through a telephone call. Senator Haider sought clarification on whether the Secretariat had requested written withdrawals, given the legal and constitutional nature of the matter, and whether copies of these withdrawal letters were on record.

Additionally, Haider questioned whether allowing withdrawals could potentially allow a minority of senators to obstruct their colleagues after initially signing a requisition.

He expressed concerns about the Senate Secretariat or the Senate Chairman’s role in adjudicating withdrawals, as such authority is not granted by the Constitution or Senate rules.

According to media reports, Haider highlighted that according to Article 54(3) of the Constitution and Senate Rule 3, it is the constitutional duty of the Senate Chairman to convene the Senate within 14 days when a requisition signed by the required members is submitted.

Meanwhile, the Senate Secretariat confirmed that five members had withdrawn their signatures through written withdrawal letters addressed to the Senate Chairman. These letters explicitly stated that the requisition, to the extent of their signatures, should be considered withdrawn.

The Deputy Secretary (Legislation) at the Senate Secretariat, Mohammad Azam, noted that after the withdrawal of these signatures, the constitutional requirement for the number of signatories was no longer met, rendering the requisition null and void.

However, the names of the senators who withdrew their signatures were not disclosed, and no specific legal provision for withdrawal of signatures from a requisition was cited.