Senate to commence budge session today

ISLAMABAD: The Senate will commence its 299th session, which is a budget session, from today (Friday) with 13 orders of the day on the agenda, including a copy of the Money Bill, the Members of Parliament (Salaries and Allowances) (Amendment) Bill, 2020 as required under Article 73 of the Constitution.

Advisor on Parliamentary Affairs Zaheeruddin Babar Awan will move the amendment bill besides moving that the Senate may make recommendations if any to the National Assembly on the Money Bill. Latest addition to the list of coronavirus-infected Senator is Maula Bakhsh Chandio of the PPP, who had tested positive two days ago.

Already, Prime Minister Imran Khan has written to Senate Chairman Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani for naming of the new Leader of the House in the Senate after Senator Shibli Faraz, Leader of the House, took oath as information minister a few weeks back in place of Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan.

The prime minister has nominated PTI's Dr Shahzad Waseem as new Leader of the House in the letter to Sanjrani.

This is for the first time in the parliamentary history that the annual budget would be presented in the Parliament in the corona-infested global and national environment. Accordingly, extreme precautionary measures have been put in place for the session, to commence at 10:00am at the Parliament House.

Though, the media persons have been requested to cover the proceedings from the state-run PTV, some of the Parliamentary Reporters Association’s office-bearers have desired the press gallery and the Press Lounge may be kept opened, observing all the prescribed precautionary measures and SOPs.

Senator Mirza Afridi was the first to get infected with the virus and has recovered. Senator Chandio has already gone into self-isolation. Over 150 media persons have been infected by the virus also, while at least three journalists lost their lives due to the fatal virus.

Reports of some of the House standing committees will also be tabled in the Senate, including the one by Senator Farooq H Naek, who is Chairman of the Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs, on the Money Bill further to amend certain tax laws (the Tax Laws Amendment Bill, 2019).