Jan 31, 2022: Opposition leader, PPP’s Yousuf Raza Gilani has resigned as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, following pressure from opposition parties and allegations he supported the government on the SBP Amendment Bill, which he denies.
PPP leader and former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani stepped down as the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. His decision came after his absence led to the passage of the State Bank (Amendment) Bill, 2021, in the Upper House of the Parliament. “I have submitted my resignation to my party; I do not want to to be the Opposition leader anymore,” Gillani said while addressing the Senate.
Criticizing the government, Gilani said he had tendered his resignation to the party leadership, adding that he no longer wanted to be the leader of the opposition. Criticizing the Chairman Senate and the Speaker, the PPP leader said that they are the custodians of the House and not of the government, their role should be neutral.
He said that it seemed that the chairman of the senate was facilitating the government, adding that for the first time in the history of the country, the chairman of the senate had to cast his vote for the passage of the bill.
Speaking about his absence from the main Senate session, the PPP leader said his staff received the agenda of the January 28 Senate session at 11:30pm on January 27, while it was delivered at his house at 1 am.
“This was such an important agenda; we should have been given more time to mull over it. The house is taken into confidence over such important matters related to the national interest, but unfortunately, this wasn’t the case,” he said.
“The chairman suspended the Senate session for [a mere 30 minutes]. You facilitated the government, not the Opposition,” Gillani told Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani.
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