The Senate started its session at the Parliament House in Islamabad this evening with Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani in the chair.

The House passed a unanimous condolence resolution, expressing profound grief over the sad demise of former Senator Hidayatullah and his colleagues in a tragic incident of bomb blast in Dammadola area of Bajaur yesterday.

The resolution was moved by Senator Kamran Murtaza.

The Senate was informed today that the government is seriously working on solarization of agricultural tube-wells of Balochistan.                    

Responding to a question during Question Hour, Minister for Energy Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has given strict instructions in this regard. He said the solarization will also help address the issue of line losses.

Answering another question, Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar said a lawmaker draws a monthly salary of 170,000 rupees after deduction of taxes, while remuneration of a judge of the superior judiciary is not less than one million rupees.

The House today passed “The Election (Amendment) Bill, 2024,”allowing making retired judges of High Courts eligible for appointment as members of the Election Tribunals.

Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar moved the bill.

The statement of object and reasons of the bill states that in the year 2023, through the Elections (Amendment) Act, 2023, an amendment was made in the said section 140 to make only the serving Judge of a High Court as member of the Election Tribunal in respect of cases of an election to an Assembly or the Senate. But the fact of the workload of High Courts in pending litigation was overlooked, which workload in heavy pendency of cases still exists and it is very difficult for the serving Judges of the High Courts to spare required time for swift adjudication of election petitions.

As such, it is appropriate to restore the original provision of the said section 140 so as also to make retired Judges of High Courts eligible for appointment as member of the Election Tribunal for hearing of election petitions in respect of election to the National Assembly, the Senate and Provincial Assemblies.

Similarly, for consistency, it is desirable to make retired District and Sessions Judges and retired Additional District and Sessions Judges eligible for appointment as members of the Election Tribunal for hearing of election petitions in respect of election to a local government.  

Responding to a Calling Attention Notice, Communication Minister Abdul Aleem Khan informed the National Highway Authority is going to depute 2,500 motorway police officials on various highways of Balochistan to check over-speeding as well as to ensure safe and secure roads for the commuters.   

The House will now meet tomorrow at 10.30 a.m.