Former Pakistan PM Yousuf Raza Gillani elected as Senate Chairman

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Syedal Khan Nasir were elected as Pakistan's Senate chairman and deputy chairman, Dawn reported on Tuesday.

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Syedal Khan Nasir were elected as Pakistan's Senate chairman and deputy chairman, Dawn reported on Tuesday. Senate Secretary Qasim Samad Khan confirmed their election to the top roles in the upper house of Pakistan parliament, Dawn reported. As many as 41 newly elected Senators were sworn in as members of the House in a session of Pakistan's Senate on Tuesday. The lawmakers took oath amid a protest by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders.

The senators also signed the roll of members in the upper house of Pakistan's Parliament. On the floor of the House, PTI Senator Ali Zafar said that the session during which the chairperson and deputy chairperson would be elected should be postponed until the Senate elections are held in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He also said that PTI will not participate in electing the Senate chairperson and deputy chairperson.

Earlier in March, Pakistan's upper house became dysfunctional after the retirement of half of its members. Earlier this month, elections were held in Islamabad, Punjab and Sindh. However, the Senate polls were not held in PTI-ruled Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where Senate polls were delayed due to provincial assembly Speaker Babar Swati's refusal to administer the oath to opposition lawmakers on reserved seats, as per the Dawn report.

The Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N)-led coalition swept the Senate elections, securing 19 seats. The ruling coalition in the centre now controls 59 of the 85 seats, according to Dawn report. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who secured a win in a technocrat seat from Islamabad on April 2, is the presiding officer for the first session of the Senate, Dawn reported.

PTI Senator Mohammad Humayun Mohmand objected to Dar presiding over the Senate session. He said that a presiding officer should be someone who was already a Senator. (ANI)

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