ISLAMABAD, Nov 20: The Senate meets on Tuesday to begin a new session called mainly to pass the women's rights bill in what would be a replay of the battle in the National Assembly.

But the Protection of Women’s Rights (Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill, passed by the National Assembly on Nov 15, could be put on hold until Wednesday as the opening sitting is likely to be brief and adjourn to mourn the death for ex-president Ghulam Ishaq Khan.

As had happened in the National Assembly earlier this month, even the Fateha for the former president could turn into a row if the opposition pressed for a similar prayer for 83 people killed in the Oct 30 missile strike on a madressah in Bajaur and 42 army recruits killed on Nov 8 in a suicide bombing on a parade ground at Dargai.

Although the government has planned to put the Protection of Women’s Rights Bill on the top of its legislative agenda in the Senate, opposition leader Raza Rabbani told Dawn on Monday his side would seek a debate on the Bajaur and Dargai attacks to be held first rather than wait for a separate opposition-called session.

The government plans to continue the present session for official and other usual business until Nov 28 and convene the session requisitioned by opposition parties on Nov 29 for a debate on the two incidents.

The combined opposition, comprising the Democratic Alliance and the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, will chart out its strategy at a meeting to be held before the session begins at 5pm on Tuesday, Mr Rabbani said.

Contrary to a likely joint stand on Bajaur and Dargai, the women's bill is sure to divide the opposition almost down the middle as happened in the National Assembly -- the MMA opposing what it sees as a move contrary to Islamic injunctions and the People's Party Parliamentarians voting for it with the ruling coalition on the ground that the new law relieves women from some of injustices suffered by them.

Tuesday's session is being held under the shadow of an MMA threat to create a political crisis by resigning from its 65 seats in the National Assembly by Dec 7 to protest against that house's passage of the bill.

Like their colleagues in the National Assembly, MMA senators are also likely to make loud protests against the bill, which has become unstoppable after overcoming a prolonged religious controversy as well as reservations within the Pakistan Muslim League that were overruled by an intervention by President Pervez Musharraf.

But the MMA has planned no resignations by its senators if the upper house passed the bill so it could become law.

Mr Rabbani said the PPP would support the bill in the upper house as it did in the National Assembly but that the party stance would not harm the opposition's `greater struggle’ for the supremacy of parliament and against the present set-up.