Yousuf Raza Gilani resigns as Senate opposition leader

ISLAMABAD: 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 impartial,” he went on.

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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.

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The Senate on Friday passed the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Amendment Bill with a razor-thin majority. The bill was presented by Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin amid protest by the opposition members. 44 senators, including the Senate chairman, voted in favour of the bill while 43 voted against it.