Military court reinstatement: Pak Senate 'perturbed' over being ignored for discussions

Pakistan Senate chairman Raza Rabbani has asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif-led government to take parliamentary leaders in the Senate into confidence on the discussion of legislation for reinstating military courts that is currently underway.

Senator Usman Kakar yesterday raised concerns that consultation was only carried out with the parliamentary leaders in the National Assembly and nobody from the Senate was invited for this purpose, reports the Daily Times.

"If a bill comes, it shall have to be passed by both the Houses. Therefore, you cannot exclude Parliamentary Leaders from the Senate from this consultation process," the chairman remarked.

Law Minister Zahid Hamid informed the House that it was preliminary consultation just to have a viewpoint whether any such law could be brought in.

"Whenever there will be an opinion to have such a bill, a broad-based consultation shall be arranged to evolve consensus," he added.

The chairman responded saying that if any final decision has to be made on the issue then the Senate should not be taken as granted and its parliamentary leaders must also be consulted.

Meanwhile, the National Accountability (Amendment) Ordinance, 2017, was disapproved through a resolution in the Senate.