ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq Monday deferred a motion for referring the Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (Conversion) Bill, 2016 to the Joint Sitting of Parliament for consideration for two days.
The Speaker said that there was a weightage in the opposition's arguments and Article 70 of the Constitution was also very clear. The government could move the motion after two days, he said.
Earlier, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab Ahmed moved the motion under sub-rule (7) of rule 154 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007 that the Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (Conversion) Bill, 2016 as passed by the National Assembly and rejected by the Senate be referred to the Joint Sitting for consideration and passage.
Opposing the motion, Syed Naveed Qamar of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) alleged that the government should not get the bill passed from the Joint Sitting as it was rejected by the Senate. He said the last PPP-led government always did legislation by taking the opposition on board.
Dr. Shireen Mazari and Sheikh Rashid Ahmed also opposed the move and asked the government to reconsider its decision. Mehmood Khan Achakzai said four more other bills had also lapsed and there were the rulings of Senate Chairman to convene a Joint Sitting for taking up them.
It would convey a wrong signal for the symbol of federation if a single bill was referred to the Joint Sitting, he said and asked the Federal Government to reconsider its decision.
Sahibzada Tariqullah of Jamat-e-Islami proposed that the bill should be referred to the Council of Common Interests (CCI) and debated there.
Responding to points raised by the members, Minister for Climate Change Zahid Hamid said the government was not bulldozing the Parliament. According to the Constitution, a bill rejected by the Senate could be referred to the Joint Sitting.
He said the government had constituted a committee of the House on the opposition's demand to thoroughly discuss the PIA affairs. All the suggestions given by the opposition were noted, which were related to the PIA's management. However, no amendment in the bill had been proposed by the opposition so far, he added.
Parliamentary Secretary Rajab Ali Baloch supported the government move and said as many as 21 constitutional amendments had been made in the Constitution so far. It was also part of the Constitution to refer a bill to the Joint Sitting in case of rejection by the Senate, he added.
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