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ISLAMABAD – In a major blow to the number-strong opposition parties, the Senate on Friday passed the controversial State Bank of Pakistan (Amendment) Bill with the majority of vote clearing last hurdle for the government to fulfill the condition of International Monetary Fund (IMF) for revival of Pakistan’s stalled loan programme. The opposition dominated Senate passed the government-sponsored bill with a thin margin of one vote as some eight senators from the opposition benches were absent from the house.
The opposition members stated protest, gathered in front of the main dais of Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani and tore down copies of the agenda calling the passage of law as “document of surrendering of financial sovereignty” when the house made a final count on the SBP (Amendment) Bill, 2022.
Earlier, the house allowed the motion to introduce the bill with the casting vote of chairman Senate in favour of the government after both the treasury and opposition had equal 43 votes each for and against the piece of legislation. After this, the opposition launched a protest demanding that the chair should order vote count on their proposed amendments after Sanjrani rejected all their amendments through a voice vote.
The house passed the bill with a margin of single vote as 43 votes were cast in its favour and 42 against it amid calls of the opposition that they wanted to make a count at their own—a demand that was rejected by the chairman Senate. The opposition’s number fell from 43 to 42 when the Awami National Party Senator Umar Farooq Kasi skipped the House proceedings before final vote count on the bill.
Out of total 99-member house, the opposition has 51 lawmakers besides six senators of a separate group led by Senator Dilawr Khan who is also part of the opposition benches. As many eight senators of the opposition were absent from the house including Leader of the Opposition in the House Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani. The others who did not get to the house include PML-N’s Mushahid Hussain Sayed and Ms Nuzhat Sadiq, BNP’s Muhammad Qasim and Ms Naseema Ehsan, PPP’s Sikandar Mandhro, JUI-F’s Talha Mahmood, and PKMAP Senator Sardar Shafiqu Tareen.
Out of six senator of Senator Dilawar group, four voted in favor of government and two were absent.
Kasim Gilani, the son of opposition leader, later clarified in a Twitter post that his father was present in Multan to condole the death of Noor Rabbani Khar, a long-time friend, a political colleague and father of two PPP MNAs. He said that Senate agenda was issued on Thursday midnight and it was not possible for his father to make it to Islamabad by 10 am on Friday to attend the sitting.
Two treasury lawmakers belonging to MQM (Pakistan) including Faisal Ali Subzwari and Ms Khalida Ateeb were also absent from the house. An ailing PTI Senator Zarqa Suharwardy had come to the house with health facilities including oxygen cylinder to participate in voting.
Earlier in the house, opposition insisted Senate chairman to ask the treasury benches to table the SBP (Amendment) bill to hold a voting on it as the latter was using some delaying tactics to complete the required number to get the bill passed. On this, the government sought deferment for some time saying Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin will himself present the bill. In the meanwhile, the minister came to the house briefly but left sensing that the government has not required number to get pass the bill.
The chair had to adjourn the house for 30 minutes as the house had taken up its business except the bill. As the House resumed, PPP Senator Farooq H Naek requested the chair to adjourn the house and rule that this bill should not be brought on the orders of the day for next 30 days. He said that this was an insult to the sanctity of the house and the chair that the government was not tabling the bill despite it was present on the orders of the day.
Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani ruled that it was duty of the government to table its bill and he could do nothing if the government was not doing so. Leader of the House Dr Shahzad Waseem said that the demand of the government stood no ground that that the house should be adjourned and said that that the chair was being coerced in this regard. In the meanwhile, the finance minister reached the house and tabled the bill.
The passage of the bill was one of the conditions set by IMF for the release of $1 billion loan tranche to the country. The bill gives complete autonomy to the central bank and places a complete restriction on the government’s borrowing from the central bank. The IMF board was scheduled to meet on January 28 to consider completion of its sixth review on Pakistan’s loan programme and to take up its request for approval to release the next loan tranche for the country. However, the review was postponed until February 2 on Pakistan’s request because the government was required to get pass the SBP bill by the Senate.