Motion pictures: Bill deferred as Rabbani questions caretaker govt’s authority to move draft

ISLAMABAD: In an unusual move, the Motion Pictures (Amendment) Bill 2023, a government bill that deals with cinema films, was deferred in the Senate session on Tuesday after former chairman Senate Raza Rabbani questioned the authority of the caretaker government to move the legislative draft.

The introduction of the Motion Pictures (Amendment) Bill 2023 was on the agenda of the house business.

This caught Rabbani by surprise. “This is the first time a caretaker government is introducing a bill in the Parliament for legislation,” he remarked.

Rabbani said the caretaker government is tasked to run the day-to-day affairs of the country in accordance with Section 230 of the Elections Act. He said that moving any bill in the Parliament by caretaker government was a serious violation of this law.

“The Motion Pictures (Amendment) Bill 2023 has nothing to do with day-to-day issues. There is no urgency to move this bill in the house,” Rabbani remarked.

The former chief Senate lambasted the caretaker government over the establishment of Cabinet Committee for Disposal of Legislative Cases (CCLC). “This cabinet considers itself above the Parliament, the Supreme Court and the constitution of Pakistan,” he said, speaking on his calling attention notice related to the CCLC constitution in August, this year.

The caretaker information minister responded that any decision the house would take regarding the Motion Pictures (Amendment) Bill 2023 would be acceptable to the government.

Solangi said the bill remained under the consideration of the former federal government before it reached the caretaker government. “The Law Ministry and the Legal Branch advised me to present this bill—and keeping their input in view, I am here to present this bill,” he stated.

He said that the National Assembly stood dissolved presently, and, in its absence, the bill could not become a law till the next NA was in place.

The caretaker minister said the CCLC was formed as per the rules of the business, to deal with the ordinances, not legislation.

The constitution does not bar the caretaker federal government from issuing ordinances, he said, adding that the CCLC was not above the SC and the Parliament.

Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani deferred the bill, saying, a decision on this bill would be taken in the Senate’s next session on Friday, after consultation with the attorney general for Pakistan (AGP).

The Section 230(1) (a) of the Elections Act 2017 provides that a caretaker government shall perform its functions to attend to day-to-day matters which are necessary to run the affairs of the government.

The Section 230(2) (b) of the same law provides the caretaker government shall not take any decision or make a policy that may have effect or pre-empt the exercise of authority by the future elected government.

Meanwhile, 14 reports were presented in the house by the heads of the respective Senate committees.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023