ISLAMABAD: Even though he has ceased to be a member of the Senate — at least in the eyes of the Constitution — Sadiq Sanjrani is looking for an extension in his term until a successor is elected, a move that has angered many across the political spectrum.

Mr Sanjrani won the Balochistan Assembly seat of PB-32 Chagai in the 2024 general elections, but is yet to take the oath of office.

Consequently, he should have relinquished his Senate position under Article 223(4) of the Constitution, titled ‘Bar against Double Membership’, which reads: “…..if a member of either House or of a Provincial Assembly becomes a candidate for a second seat which… he may not hold concurrently with his first seat, then his first seat shall become vacant as soon as he is elected to the second seat.”

However, not only has Mr Sanjrani not stepped down from his earlier role, he convened and chaired a meeting on Thursday, where the idea of passing a resolution to amend Rule 9 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate was discussed.

ECP had already written to Senate Secretariat to ensure he vacates his seat following election to Balochistan Assembly

Rule 9 (1) reads: “At the first meeting of the Senate, after the members have taken oath and to the exclusion of any other business including privilege and adjournment motions, the Senate shall proceed to elect from amongst its members a Chairman, and so often as the Office of the Chairman becomes vacant the Senate shall elect another member as its Chairman, in accordance with the rules”.

Rule 9 (2) reads, “The first meeting of the Senate for election of the Chairman shall be presided over by the outgoing Chairman or, in his absence, by a person nominated by the President.” Sources told Dawn that former law minister Azam Nazir Tarar and the former Senate chairman endorsed the idea.

Supporters of the extension say it is meant to remove an impending anomaly during the period from March 11, when half of the senators are to retire, till the first week of April, when the Senate elections are supposed to take place. They say Mr Sanjrani will not preside over the sessions and just run the Senate.

During the meeting, however, former Senate deputy chairman Saleem Mandviwala asked Mr Sanjrani in what capacity he had convened the meeting, as he was no more a senator. He also asked if it was his own desire to get an extension or whether there was some other reason behind it. In response, Mr Sanjrani said he wanted it in interest of the Senate.

Sources said Senator Mandviwala walked out in protest when Mr Sanjrani vowed to press on and Mr Tarar — who is believed to be spearheading the move on the government’s behalf — tried to persuade him to rejoin. Contacted by Dawn, Senator Mandviwala confirmed the development and vowed to resist the “unconstitutional move”.

He said there was no room, either in the Constitution or the rules, for such an arrangement, adding that Mr Sanjrani had been misusing the Senate chairman’s office since Feb 15.

During the meeting, Barrister Ali Zafar of the PTI also noted it would be illegal, but reportedly said: “If you want to do it, you will need to amend the rules”.

The meeting was also attended by Sherry Rehman and Shahadat Awan of PPP, Kamil Ali Agha of PML-Q, Mushtaq Ahmed of Jamaat-i-Islami, Tahir Bizenjo of National Party and Hidayat Ullah of Awami National Party.

A source told Dawn that a proposal to amend the rule to allow the deputy chairman to continue was also discussed, as he had not contested election for another house. Sources said there was disagreement within political parties over the issue of Mr Sanjrani’s extension.

Some lawmakers fear that the resolution may land in the upper house today (Friday) and say they have prepared a strategy to counter it. Another source said a dejected Mr Sanjrani had dropped the plan after facing criticism, and will be leaving for Quetta to take the oath as a Balochistan Assembly MPA.

The ECP had already raised concerns over Mr Sanjrani’s ‘dual role’ and had included his name among a list of seven whose seats had to be vacated following their victories in the Feb 8 general elections.

Syed Irfan Raza also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2024