ISLAMABAD, January 31: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Yousuf Raza Gilani announced on Monday that he has submitted his resignation as the opposition leader in the Senate to his party leadership.
Speaking on the floor of the upper house of Parliament, the former prime minister slammed Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani for voting in favour of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Amendment Bill, 2021.
“It happened for the first time in the country’s history that the Senate chairman voted [in the government’s favour]. You are the custodian of the house and not the government. You should be mpartial,” he went on.
“The opposition had a majority in the House before the 30-minute adjournment,” Gillani claimed. Yousuf Raza Gilani said the notice his office received about the Senate session made no mention of the bill that was going to be tabled for voting.
Issuing the session’s agenda late at night was uncalled for, he added.
“I don’t want to serve as the opposition leader anymore and have submitted my resignation to the party,” the PPP leader said.
In an indirect reference to his absence from Friday’s session, “I am not surprised by the criticism by my opponents but felt pain over the silence of his own people.”
He said the government should take (opposition) into confidence on important issues at the national level. Sources said that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has received the resignation of Yousaf Raza Gillani this morning and he will take the decision on it after consultations.
It is pertinent to note that Gilani was among at least eight opposition senators who had skipped last Friday’s Senate session, which allowed the PTI government to narrowly manage to get the crucial State Bank of Pakistan (Amendment) Bill passed from the opposition-controlled house. -NNI
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