ISLAMABAD, Aug 10 (APP):Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani’s Lawyer on Tuesday concluded his arguments in an intra court appeal (ICA) of Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani against rejection of his seven votes in chairman senate elections.
Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani’s lawyer Barrister Ali Zafar contended before the bench that there was no restriction on speaking of a member during Parliament’s proceeding under Article 66 of the constitution.
Parliamentary proceeding couldn’t be challenged under Article 67, he said, even no court was authorized to raise question against any decision of the house.
He further argued that the senate chairman elections were held under Senate Rules of Business 2012, and the house could choose one of its members as chairman. Election, nominations, rejection of votes and election of chairman and deputy chairman were all part of the senate business.
Ali Zafar argued that the first session of the house was used to held under chair of a presiding officer nominated by the President and he was responsible to complete the process of chairman senate election.
If the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) held any elections it could be challenged in courts, he said, adding that senate elections like House of Commons was internal matter of the house.
Barrister Ali Zafar further contended that chairman, deputy chairman senate, speaker and deputy speaker of the assemblies could only be removed through a no confidence move in the house. He said that petitioner Yousaf Raza Gilani had become leader of the opposition with the signature of Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani. After completing of the arguments, the court adjourned hearing of the case till August 31.
A division bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri heard the case filed by Yousaf Raza Gilani challenging the rejection of his seven votes in chairman senate elections. Earlier, a single member bench had declared the same petition as non maintainable.
