Umar Rehman Malik predicts Gilani will add value to Senate as Chairman
Abdullah Jan
Islamabad: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Umar Rehman Malik this week predicted that Senate Chairman Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani will boost the importance of the Upper House of the parliament with his able leadership.
“Congratulations to Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on his election as Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan. Wishing him the best of luck in his new role. Under his capable and wise leadership, the upper house will play a pivotal role in legislation and the political affairs of the country, promoting unity and reconciliation. Congratulations to Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari,” he said in a statement.
Earlier, former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani was elected unopposed as the Senate Chairman.
On April 2, elections on vacant Senate seats were held in Islamabad, Punjab and Sindh, but not in PTI-ruled KP — where polls were delayed on 11 seats due to provincial assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati’s refusal to administer the oath to opposition lawmakers on reserved seats.
These seats were doled out to the PPP, PML-N, and other parties after the ECP rejected a plea by the PTI and the Sunni Ittehad Council for the allocation of these seats.
Nonetheless, the ruling coalition in the Centre, led by the PML-N, swept the elections, securing 19 seats. After the elections, the coalition controls 59 of the 85 seats at present.
