ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Friday paid homage to former supreme court judge, late Justice Rana Bhagwandas for his services to the country.

Senate Chairman Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari eulogised the late justice, recalling his integrity and commitment to justice, adding that his absence will be sorely missed by the judiciary.

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Shaikh Aftab Ahmed added that Mr Bhagwandas' commitment to justice was unparalleled and that his name shall live on in the annals of history.

Other eminent personalities also added to the above with Senator Hari Ram hailing the late justice as a true Pakistani.

The house observed a minute of silence in his memory.

Read more: Justice (r) Rana Bhagwandas passes away in Karachi

Former acting chief justice Rana Bhagwandas passed away in Karachi earlier this week.The 73-year-old former judge was under treatment for a heart ailment at a private hospital at the time of his passing.

He was the first Hindu and the second non-Muslim head of Pakistan’s judiciary and had been a Supreme Court judge since Feb 2000.

Born in Naseerabad, Larkana District (now Qamber Shahdadkot District) in Sindh in Dec 1942, Justice (retd) Bhagwandas had a postgraduate degree in Islamic Studies and was considered an expert on constitutional law.

He was a practising advocate for about two years before being appointed as a judge in July 1967. He was made a judge of the Sindh High Court in June 1994.

Updates for the senate

Subsequent to the eulogy, the senate was informed that 4092 units of raw gas is being produced in the country.

Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Jam Kamal Khan detailed the gas consumption distribution amongst sectors for the year 2013-14; Almost half the consumption was in the domestic (22%) and power (27%) sector, followed by 18% in fertilisers, 12% industrial, 20% under captive power and 3% for commercial, he said.

He added that gas was supplied in line with pre-defined priority orders, with domestic and commercial sectors considered first, followed by the power sector, general industries, cement sector and the CNG sector respectively.

Minister of State for Water and Power, Abid Sher Ali, spoke briefly about the Neelum-Jhelum Hydro Power Project, adding that the estimated cost of the project has risen to Rs280 bn, from Rs80 bn, due to delays. He predicted the final cost to be around Rs 300 bn, adding that the government should prioritise completing projects within deadlines.

Opposition parties staged a walk out against the changes made to the economic corridor project, and the house was adjourned at 3 pm.