NA passes 95 bills, 91 ordinances in 4 years

NAVEED BUTT

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly has passed a total of 95 bills, 50 resolutions and 91 ordinances during its four Parliamentary years.

President Asif Ali Zardari has given assent to 61 bills in four years, which have become Acts.

Most of the bills and resolutions were unanimously passed from the Lower House of the Parliament.

According to documents available with the Business Recorder, as many as five bills [Finance Bill 2008, The Industrial Relations Bill, 2008 etc] were passed in first year, 32 bills [The Banking Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2009, The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2009, The Federal Board of Revenue (Amendment) Bill, 2009, The Anti-Dumping Duties (Amendment) Bill, 2008 etc] in second year, 31 bills [The Constitution (Nineteenth Amendment) Bill, 2010, The Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Bill, 2010, The Islamabad High Court Bill, 2010 , The Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Bill, 2010 etc] in third year and 27 bills [The Constitution (Twentieth Amendment) Bill, 2012, The State Bank of Pakistan (Amendment) Bill, 2011, The Carriage by Air Bill, 2011, The Petroleum Products (Petroleum Levy) (Amendment) Bill, 2011, The Gas Infrastructure Development Cess Bill, 2011 etc] were passed in fourth Parliamentary year of the National Assembly.

As far as resolutions are concerned, the National Assembly unanimously  passed a resolution on February 14, 2012 about the discussion of Balochistan issue in US standing Committee, the resolution strongly condemns the blatant interference in Pakistan's internal affairs evidenced by US Congressional Foreign Relations Sub-Committee hearing on Balochistan on 8th February, 2012. Similarly, the House passed a resolution on February 1, that the Government should consider withdrawal of increase in prices of petroleum products immediately. The lower House also passed an unanimously resolution on January 16, 2012 about strengthening of democratic institutions and democratic system etc.

In ongoing 4th Parliamentary years as many as five ordinances including The Industrial Relations Ordinance, 2011, The Sales Tax (Amendment) Ordinance, 2011, The Federal Excise (Amendment) Ordinance, 2011, The Income Tax (Amendment) Ordinance, 2011 etc were laid before the House.

In third Parliamentary Year, as many as 10 ordinances including The Arbitration (International Investment Disputes) Ordinance, 2010, The Price Control and Prevention of Profiteering and Hoarding (Amendment) Ordinance, 2010, The Benazir Income Support Programme Ordinance, 2009, The National Vocational and Technical Education Commission Ordinance, 2009 etc were laid in the National Assembly.