Senate unanimously passes 19th Amendment Bill

The Senate on Thursday unanimously passed 19th Constitutional Amendment Bill with 80 votes in favour and none against, while rejecting two amendments to some clauses. The 19th Amendment Bill, 2010 has already been passed by the National Assembly.
Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid) Senator Haroon Akhtar had proposed an amendment to tax agriculture income, saying that the country can collect an amount of Rs 400 billion by levying agriculture tax. He said that all the parties must get united for imposition of agriculture tax and reject the impression that parliamentarians don''t want to tax themselves.
He said the parties who want to tax the agriculture income must come forward and support the amendment. The idea was also supported by Awami National Party Senator Haji Adeel and Muttahida Qaumi Movement''s Tahir Hussain Mashadi, who announced off the mike support.
Senators belonging to Fata, Hafiz Rashid and Muhammad Idrees moved an amendment in the sub-paragraph (b) of the paragraph 2 of the Clause-7 of the Bill, for merging 25 villages of Charsadda and Peshawar in Mohmand Agency, which was opposed by Chairman Constitutional Reforms Committee of the Parliament, Mian Raza Rabbani saying that these villages are attached with settled districts and could not be included in tribal areas.
Hafiz Rashid was the only Senator who stood in opposition when the House was giving passage to Clause 2 of the Bill during the clause by clause approval and also announced that Fata senators will not support the passage of the Bill in case his amendment was not included in the bill.
However, the House rejected both the amendments terming them beyond the scope of the 19th Amendment. In his ruling on both amendments, Senate Chairman Farooq H Naek said that these were beyond the scope and limit of 19th Amendment Bill and ruled both the amendments out of order.
On the proposal of Senator Haroon, Raza Rabbani advised the senator to send the proposal to the committee where it can be discussed. He said though imposing agriculture tax is provincial subject and no party will oppose to tax the agriculture income. The 19th Amendment Bill, 2010 mainly deals with appointment of superior courts judges, addition of senior most judges in the Judicial Commission of Pakistan and inclusion of Islamabad High Court in Article 81 of the Constitution.
Salient features of the 19th Amendment Bill, 2010: The strength of Judicial Commission of Pakistan has been increased from seven to nine members by adding two senior most judges of the Supreme Court. The experience of a senior Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan nominated by the Pakistan Bar Council has been fixed not less than 15 years practice. Name of the Islamabad High Court was added to Article 81 of the Constitution. When the National Assembly is dissolved, the total membership of the Parliamentary Committee shall consist of four members from the Senate.
The committee shall send the name of the nominee confirmed by it or deemed to have been confirmed to the Prime Minister who shall forward the same to the President for appointment. If a nomination is not confirmed by the Committee, the Commission shall send another nomination. The Committee can reject nomination proposed by the Commission with sound reasons.
Parliamentary Committee can bring conduct of judges under discussion. Tribal Areas adjoining Lakki Marwat and Tank districts shall be part of Fata. Earlier, while laying the bill in the House, Rabbani termed the event as a historical day in the country''s political history and parliament that another unanimous amendment bill is being laid in the House.
He said it was a unique moment in the political history of the country that two very important constitutional bills are being presented unanimously in the House in 2010. He also lauded the role of the members of constitutional reforms committee and all political parties on 19th Amendment Bill.
Senators belonging to various political parties including PML-N''s Ishaq Dar, PML-Q''s Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, ANP''s Haji Adeel, Afrasiab Khattak, Ilyas Bilour, JUI-F''s Abdul Ghafoor Haidri, Rahmatullah Kakar and Azam Swati, MQM''s Tahir Hussain Mashadi, National Party''s Hasil Bizinjo, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party''s Abdul Rahim Mandokhel, Abbas Khan from Fata and others speaking on floor of the House supported the 19th Amendment Bill.