Senate sees uproar after result of vote on SBP bill ‘withheld’

The opposition in the Senate staged a protest after the chair set a new precedent, withholding the results of the count after hesitantly allowing voting on a motion for the immediate consideration of the State Bank of Pakistan (Amendment) Bill. The bill, moved by PTI Senator Mohsin Aziz, proposes to raise the minimum credit limit extended to the private sector by banks in each province. Objecting to the bill, Minister of State for Finance and Revenue Ali Pervaiz Malik said Article 74 of the Constitution clearly states that the consent of the federal government is required for any bill seeking to amend the SBP Act and wondered how the bill came on the agenda without government consent.