ISLAMABAD: The issue involving the appointment of opposition leader in the Senate seems to have headed to a resolution, with the notification of Raja Nasir Abbas as the Leader of the Opposition in the Upper House of the Parliament expected to be finally issued soon. In this context, a meeting on Monday was held at the Senate Secretariat under the leadership of the Chairman Senate Yousaf Raza Gilani in which it was decided that the notification of Abbas as the Senate opposition leader would be issued soon, it is learnt. The Senate chief is said to have nodded to Abbas’s appointment as the opposition leader, and Secretary Senate Syed Hasnain Haider would issue the required notification in the coming days, it is further learnt. Later, in the Senate session presided over by Gilani, the House passed different bills including the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024. This bill seeks to criminalise the practice of witchcraft and sorcery. The bill, moved by Samina Mumtaz Zehri from Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), seeks imprisonment of seven years, and imposition of fines up to one million rupees for offences related to witchcraft and sorcery. The draft of the bill states that any person found involved in magic or its publicity may face imprisonment ranging from six months to seven years. The bill seeks to take on those who practice, advertise or provide services for black magic, sorcery, witchcraft, or such acts in the disguise of spiritual healing or counselling. Apart from that, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Parliamentary Leader in the Senate Sherry Rehman said in the Senate that the Karachi Gul Plaza incident was a “lesson for all of us.” “No need to politicise this incident,” she said. No amount of compensation can bridge the loss of the lives as result of the incident, Rehman said. Sindh government, she said, is actively dealing with the matter. Khalida Ateeb from Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) slammed the Sindh government for alleged negligence leading to the fire incident. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Parliamentary Leader in Senate Ali Zafar said the fire incident exposed the extent of corruption related to buildings’ construction in Karachi. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026