ISLAMABAD: In a session marked by heightened tensions, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) opposition lawmakers in National Assembly on Tuesday vehemently criticised the ruling coalition for the passage of Election Second Amendment Bill, barring independents from joining parties.
As the National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq put the bill to the house for voting, the PTI-backed SIC MPs rose from their seats, sparking heated exchanges and raising concerns about democratic principles and institutional integrity.
Speaking on the floor of the house, Ali Muhammad Khan of PTI argued that the bill would deprive him of his rights while Gohar Ali Khan, the PTI chairman, lamented its consequences for his party.
Ali Muhammad questioned whether the parliament could be used by a political party to attack the Supreme Court of Pakistan for its political gains, adding the PTI could not be convicted for something it had done in the past even if the government moves forward with lawmaking against it. “If my party is being granted a right through a Supreme Court order […] how can you make a new law after the Supreme Court’s order and deny us that right,” he questioned.
“We are protesting against such a controversial bill […] we reject this bill as it’s not acceptable to us. It’s an attack on the apex court through the parliament by the government,” he said, adding legislation should be done for the benefit of the country.
“We will approach the Supreme Court against it and this legislation will be nullified as the parliament is not standing behind this, there’s a political party behind it,” he declared.
PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan said that the party would challenge the controversial bill in Supreme Court, as it was nothing but to undo the apex court’s verdict in seats reserved for women.
“I would like to tell the Prime Minister (Shehbaz Sharif) to make a phone call to Hasina Wazed (deposed prime minister of Bangladesh) and ask her how to flee the country,” he said.
He maintained that there is no second opinion about the parliament being a supreme institution, but the apex court has all the rights enshrined in the constitution to interpret a law.
“You (the government) block all the reports in one go. Pass a bill without any debate on it as even the members have no idea what the legislation is all about. This is the 9th such legislation done by this parliament, which is shameful,” he added.
He said that the ruling coalition is moving from pillar to post just to get the seats reserved for women on PTI’s quota, which is no different than how this regime was imposed on the people through Forms 47s.
However, Bilal Azhar Kayani of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), who moved the bill in the house, defended the bill, saying the parliament is the supreme legislating body, and it has all the rights to make any legislation.
He said the legislation further clarified and strengthened already existing laws.
Explaining “three main” changes made in the Elections Act, he added, a party that did not submit its list of candidates for reserved seats within the specified period would not be eligible for reserved seats after the elections.
Kayani asserted that “no one could point out anything in the bill that was practically wrong or in conflict with the Constitution and the law”.
He added that the majority judgment in the case of the reserved seat was in his opinion “not in harmony with the Constitution”.
Kayani said that he agreed with the minority judgment in the case, arguing that the PTI was not even a party in the case, whereas, the SIC was the petitioner yet was “not given any relief”.
Reading out the minority judgment, Kayani claimed it said that “a new parliamentary party, which did not exist, had been created through the majority judgment”.
Meanwhile, Shahida Akhtar of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F) said that such legislation would weaken the parliament.
Law and Justice Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said that the elected parliament has the right to do legislation and only 17 people cannot undo it. “The legislation is the prerogative of parliament and the bill is in accordance with spirit of the constitution,” he added.
He argued that the bill would clarify existing confusion, although PTI’s Ali Muhammad expressed surprise at the minister’s defence of the private member’s bill.
Meanwhile, responding to a calling attention notice, the minister said that new machinery and software would be installed to increase the printing capacity of passports to 55,000 to 60,000 per day by September end.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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