Sadiq Sanjrani assumes role of acting president

• Sadiq Sanjrani took charge of the office in Quetta.
• Cabinet Division has also issued a notification.
• He takes charge as President Alvi leaves for Hajj.

ISLAMABAD: After President Arif Alvi left for Saudi Arabia to perform the religious obligation of Hajj, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani Sunday took charge as the acting president, a statement from the Senate said.

Sanjrani took charge of the office in Quetta, and the Cabinet Division has also issued a notification in this regard.

Under the Constitution, in the absence of the president from Pakistan — may it be for any reason — the chairman of the upper house of the parliament takes his place as the acting president.

The Senate chairman is currently in Balochistan's capital due to the passing of his aunt.

Hajj is observed for five days in the last month of the Islamic lunar calendar — Zil Hajj — and is one of the five pillars of Islam.

It is a religious obligation for all able-bodied Muslims who can afford it at least once in their lifetime.

Sanjrani — a brief profile

Sanjrani holds two unique distinctions of being the youngest, 39, chairman of the Senate and the first one to be elected to the position from Balochistan.

Born on April 14, 1978, in Nokkundi, Balochistan, Sanjrani took oath as chairman of the Upper House on 12th March 2018, by securing 57 votes.

Previously, he held the position of coordinator of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's team in 1998-99 and worked for the Grievance Cell at the Prime Minister's Secretariat during Yousaf Raza Gilani's tenure in 2008-13.

The first Senate chairman from Balochistan holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations and bears a dynamic persona that infuses professional acumen with a humanitarian verve, according to the Senate website.

In addition to holding the highest political portfolio in Senate, he also chaired the Senate Finance Committee, Business Advisory Committee, and the Committee for Promotion and Development of Football in the Country.

Throughout his professional life, Sanjrani has remained a member of the Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industry, ex-Director of the Board of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Hospital, Quetta, and the founder-president Society for the Services of Humanity (SFSH), Islamabad, among other engagements.

In 2018, Sanjarani survived a no-confidence motion by the then-opposition — that came as a surprise victory for the then-PTI-led government and its coalition partners.

The opposition (now in government) had passed the no-confidence resolution by 64 votes, however, despite needing only 53 of the 64 senators to send Sanjarni packing, the opposition fell three votes short.

This was for the first time in the history of Pakistan that a no-confidence motion had been submitted against the Senate chairperson, demanding his resignation from his post.