Saturday, April 12, 2008, Rabi-ul-Sani 5,1429    

Govt respects Opposition: Rabbani

Islamabad—Mian Raza Rabbani, Leader of the House, Senate of Pakistan, has said that the Coalition Government led by Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani has set a healthy tradition and shown that it respects the Opposition in the Parliament.

In a press statement issued here Friday he said the Coalition Government placed no obstacle in the way of the Parliament (Senate and the National Assembly) in immediately nominating the Leaders of the Opposition in both the Houses.

“It will be recalled that the PML(Q) Government prevented the Speaker of the National Assembly from naming Makhdoom Amin Fahim, the Leader of the majority of the members of the Opposition in the National Assembly from becoming the Leader of the Opposition”, the statement said.

It took the then Speaker over one year in nominating Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman as the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, the statement pointed out. Similarly, Raza Rabbani further said, the Chairman Senate was prevented by the PML (Q) Government from naming the Leader of the Opposition from over year and half.

The leader of the House in the Senate stated that the Coalition Government believed in the sovereignty of the Parliament and these nominations were the first step. “The Government will enact appropriate legislation to correct the imbalance created by various Constitutional amendments which have placed fetters on the sovereignty of the Parliament”. He held the view that a Federation like Pakistan can only be strengthened and national unity achieved if the Senate and the NA alongwith the Provincial Assemblies are allowed to function in a democratic manner. —NNI