PPP spokesman Senator Farhatullah Babar has criticised Article 270 AA in the amendment bill, which validates all laws orders of the military regime without asking any questions.
He said there were more than 350 orders, laws and ordinances issued by the military government of Musharraf which were being validated through this provision in the amendment bill, he said and then asked 'do you know sir what has been validated?'
There are many repugnant laws, which have been validated. One such law is the Chief Executive's order 26 of 2002 dated 19.9.2002, he said.
He said this is an order that declares that Pakistan is like a melon to be apportioned between the generals and military officers.
Giving the background he said under item 31 of the federal legislative list parliament cannot legislate on co-operative societies. About a decade ago the Lahore Cantonment Co-operative Housing Society was set up under the 1925 Act, he said.
Senator Babar said that it was a private society and its operations were carried out on private lands.
The army authorities forcibly took possession of the society, he said. A complaint was lodged with the Registrar who ordered that elections of members of society be held.
The elections were not allowed to be held for ten years. Meanwhile, the army authorities persuaded the provincial government to issue an ordinance called defence housing authority ordinance of 1999.
Since the provincial legislature cannot make laws on matters of defence. The so-called defence ordinance was challenged in the High Court.
While the matter is still pending in the court. The military government realising that the 'occupiers' of the Lahore Co-operative Housing Society could not function under their illegal title for long issued the said order 26 of 2002 which is called the "Defence Housing Authority Lahore", order.
This illegal and unconstitutional order which was now being protected under
270 AA and asked the MMA to at least do away with this order even if they could not review other orders.