The National Assembly on Thursday managed to get passed 11 bills presented by the government despite the opposition’s vehement protest.
A total of 15 bills including 13 presidential ordinances were tabled by the government on Thursday, the first day of the ongoing assembly session. Out of these, 11 bills, including nine ordinances, were passed by the Lower House.
The ordinances passed in the shape of bills include seven recently promulgated by President Arif Alvi. The assembly also approved a 120-day extension to three presidential ordinances.
The bills passed during the session presided by NA Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri included: Legal Aid and Justice Authority Ordinance 2019; Superior Courts (Court Dress and Mode of Address) Order (Repeal) Ordinance 2019; Benami Transactions (Prohibition) (Amendment) Ordinance 2019; National Accountability (Amendment) Ordinance 2019; Medical Bill 2019 and Pakistan Medical Commission Ordinance 2019.
From the onset of the session, the opposition benches started protesting against the government for getting legislation done through ordinances. Opposition lawmakers gathered in front of the speaker’s dais and tore up copies of the bills. They also chanted slogans against the government.
Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser on Thursday issued production orders for Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders Asif Zardari, Syed Khursheed Shah and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Saad Rafique, enabling them to attend the ongoing NA session.
Later, talking to media outside the National Assembly, PML-N leader Khawaja Asif declared that all the opposition parties have unanimously decided to table a no-confidence motion against the deputy speaker. “The Supreme Court has given a stay order and we respect its decision. However, we will now exercise the remedy that has been provided to us,” he said.
The announcement comes in the backdrop of a marathon National Assembly session in which 11 bills were passed despite vehement protest by the opposition. The session had been presided over by the deputy speaker. Khawaja Asif also criticised the incumbent government for making a mockery of legislation during the National Assembly proceedings.
“Whatever happened is an insult to the National Assembly,” he said. “The government wrapped up proceedings in 20-25 minutes and postponed proceedings of the assembly,” he added.
The PML-N leader paid tribute to the JUI-F workers who are taking part in the anti-government sit-in. “Chairman CDA was told to look after participants of the march,” he said. “Instead, CDA officials are eating food from Azadi March participants,” he remarked, and accused the government of creating hurdles for the protesters. “The water supply in public mosques near the protest venue has been cut,” he said. “Internet services have been disrupted in areas close to the march,” he said, and alleged that the government has instructed public hospitals not to treat participants of Azadi March.
The PML-N leader asked the federal government to make the metro bus service functional in twin cities to facilitate the citizens. “After failing to run metro bus service in Peshawar, now they have closed down metro bus service of Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad,” he lamented.
