ISLAMABAD: In a first, the Senate session to vote on the no-trust motions against Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjran and the Deputy Chairman Salim Mandivalla has started in the parliament.
Senator Barrister Saif, who was appointed as presiding officer, is chairing the session today.
The secret voting on the no-confidence motion is underway in the Upper House.
At the onset of the session, 64 senators favoured the no-trust motion, following which, the polling kicked off in the Senate.
There are 100 senators attending the session today and a total of 53 votes are required to oust the chairman and deputy chairman of the Senate.
It is declared mandatory to insert a vote into the ballot box after casting vote in favour or opposition.
The instructions were issued in a letter released by Senate Secretariat for voting on the no-confidence motion. The secretariat has also imposed a ban on carrying mobile phones in the polling booth. The letter also stated that grabbing photos of the ballot paper is also prohibited in order to ensure secrecy of the vote.
On July 9, opposition senators had submitted a resolution against Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani to the secretariat of the upper house with signatures of 38 opposition members. The government and coalition legislators hit back with a similar motion against the deputy chairman on July 12.
The opposition’s Rehbar Committee had nominated Mir Hasil Bizenjo as its candidate to replace the incumbent Chairman Senate.
It is for the first time in the history of Pakistan that a no-confidence motion has been submitted against the senate chairman.
