The joint opposition staged a walkout from the Senate on Monday in a protest against the recently promulgated ordinances to implement the Economic Reforms Package (ERP), which they said was introduced by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi last week without completing legal formalities.
The ERP includes “one-time” amnesty scheme to whiten undeclared assets at home and abroad, reduction in income tax rates, issuance of dollar-denominated bonds and barring cash transactions in non-filer accounts.
Former Senate chairman Mian Raza Rabbani on a point of order raised the issue and said the privilege of the house was breached when the president promulgated four ordinances without completing legal formalities.
He said the four ordinances were issued within few hours. He took the government to task for ignoring parliament. He requested the chairman to send the issue of ordinances to privilege committee of the House and termed the presidential ordinances illegal.
PTI leader Azam Swati termed the promulgation of ordinances blatant disregard of parliament.
In his response, State Minister Rana Afzal said that all legal requirements were completed. He rejected the impression that no approval was sought from the federal cabinet. “The government has the prerogative power to promulgate ordinances when it required necessary,” the minister maintained.
Leader of the Opposition Sherry Rehman claimed that PML-N never gave importance to parliament. She questioned why the government was in hurry for passage of an amnesty scheme before few days of annual budget. The opposition leader walked out of the Senate against the government’s “behaviour” towards parliament. Then entire opposition joined her.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq said there was no justification for promulgation of the ordinances to whiten the black money.
Earlier, the Senate also passed a resolution against Indian atrocities in Held Kashmir.
The joint resolution was presented by Opposition Leader Sherry Rehman. The resolution strongly and unequivocally condemned the recent escalation of state-sponsored violation in Shopian and Islamabad districts in Indian-held Kashmir that had left scores of people killed and injured.
The House extended its deepest condolences to the families of martyrs and expressed solidarity with the people of Kashmir in their struggle for freedom and right to self-determination in the face of the most brutal state terrorism being perpetrated by India.
The resolution recommended the government to appoint a special envoy to raise Kashmir issue at all international forums.
The session was chaired by Sadiq Sanjrani.
Published in Daily Times, April 10th 2018.
