ISLAMABAD, Aug 09 (APP): Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Raja Riaz while appreciating prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and his team for bringing back the country from the verge of default on Wednesday said that wrong policies of Imran Khan-led-government had brought the country to the brink of default.

In his farewell address at the National Assembly, he said no doubt he contested the election on the PTI ticket but he and some other colleagues opposed the wrong policies of Imran Khan and parted way with PTI.

Even Deputy Commissioners and District Police Officers were being posted in Punjab after taking bribes by CM Usman Buzdar and Farah Gogi, he said.

Coming hard on PTI Chief, he said that Imran Khan ruined the country and he and his other colleagues decided to support the incumbent government to dislodge the PTI government through a no-confidence motion.

He said the inflation has further increased and urged the forthcoming caretaker government to take concrete steps to control it.

ISLAMABAD, Aug 09 (APP): The 15th National Assembly of Pakistan is set to join the ranks of the few assemblies that have successfully completed their terms, following the passage of an impressive total of 232 bills.

It will mark the fourth instance in the country’s history where a National Assembly has successfully completed its term.

Although the official term completion date for the 15th National Assembly was slated for August 12, 2023, Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif announced its dissolution three days ahead, on August 9, 2023.

Over the course of its tenure, the outgoing Assembly conducted a total of 52 sessions, dedicated to deliberating and passing vital legislative proposals, totaling the impressive count of 232 bills. These legislative measures were meticulously designed to address a wide spectrum of issues and serve the best interests of the nation.

Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif delivered a farewell address in the National Assembly, extending his heartfelt gratitude to a multitude of figures who contributed to the governance of the nation.

He expressed his appreciation for the efforts of Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Co-Chairperson PPPP Asif Ali Zardari, Minister for Foreign Affairs Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the entire cabinet, as well as the esteemed members of the lower house. This collective effort played a vital role in effectively managing the government’s affairs.

In his address to the National Assembly, Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf emphasized the assembly’s representation of the country’s diverse population of 250 million people. He underscored the assembly’s role as a sovereign institution, entrusted with the responsibility of enacting measures to alleviate the public’s concerns.

The dynamics of the outgoing assembly saw the ousting of former Prime Minister Imran Khan through a motion of no-confidence. Subsequently, Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif secured a vote of confidence, leading him to assume the role of Prime Minister. Notably, during the tenure of the assembly, a total of 126 bills were passed from August 13, 2018, to April 9, 2022. The remaining 106 bills were endorsed during the PML-N-led government’s term, spanning from April 10, 2022, to August 9, 2023.

The National Assembly’s achievements extended beyond bills, as evidenced by the passage of 105 resolutions, the presentation of 449 reports, thousands of questions and calling attention notices related to various ministers. The reports in the National Assembly encompassed an array of topics, including legislative proposals, questions, calling attention notices, and other pertinent matters.

Reflecting on the nation’s political history, the year 2002 marked the holding of general elections, resulting in the Pakistan Muslim League-Q securing a majority in the 12th National Assembly. Despite completing its five-year term, none of the elected Prime Ministers managed to serve their full tenures.

Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali assumed the Prime Ministerial position after the election but resigned in June 2004. Subsequently, Shaukat Aziz succeeded him.

The 2008 government formation saw the Pakistan Peoples Party taking the reins, yet even elected Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gillani faced disqualification by the Supreme Court due to a conviction of contempt of court and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf was elected as the Prime Minister on June 22, 2012.

Transitioning into 2013, the PML-N assumed power, concluding its constitutional term in 2018. However, the specter of the Panama Papers case loomed, leading to the disqualification of elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 2017. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi subsequently assumed the role of Prime Minister.

ISLAMABAD, Aug 09 (APP): The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) (Amendment) Bill, 2023 successfully sailed through the Senate on Wednesday, gaining unanimous approval following a vigorous debate.

Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Marriyum Aurangzeb proposed the bill and highlighted her role in initiating the process to amend the PEMRA Ordinance, which involved a year-long consultation and the incorporation of three important clauses.

According to Marriyum Aurangzeb, the 2023 PEMRA Bill safeguards the rights of media workers and journalists. This is because the bill mandates all media house owners to settle their outstanding dues, including salaries, within a two-month timeframe.

Marriyum Aurangzeb conveyed that the Parliament now holds the authority to appoint the PEMRA Chairman. This proposal swiftly garnered endorsement from the Prime Minister during the committee meeting.

Additionally, she contrasted the earlier PEMRA Ordinance of 2002, wherein the Chairman of PEMRA held significant authority over channels, suspensions, licenses, and program suspensions.

In comparison, the present bill reallocated this power, empowering the Council of Authority and incorporating a mechanism for appeals from those who feel aggrieved.

Regarding the need for changes in the PEMRA ordinance, Marriyum Aurangzeb stressed the significance of amending multiple clauses.

This extended consultation phase eventually broadened the bill’s scope to encompass misinformation and disinformation aspects.

Importantly, the definitions of “misinformation” and “disinformation” were refined through consultation of various countries’ interpretations and insights from the United Nations Human Rights Committee. This meticulous process ensured the bill’s alignment with diverse perspectives and international standards.

She also emphasized her commitment to involving stakeholders, highlighting the previous absence of a platform for electronic media workers.

She contrasted this with the ITNE platform accessible to newspaper employees. Encouragingly, ITNE managed to recover 140 million rupees within nine months, facilitating employee salary payments.

Addressing past controversies, Marriyum Aurangzeb acknowledged allegations of external influences impacting the bill’s formulation.

Despite her consistent attempts to introduce amendments, the issue was magnified. Nevertheless, she maintained her open stance towards criticism.

The House also approved three additional bills, namely The Federal Prosecution Service Bill, 2023, and The Price Control and Prevention of Profiteering and Hoarding (Amendment) Bill, 2023, both presented by Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazir Tarar. Additionally, The Islamabad Nature Conservation and Wildlife Management Bill, 2023, was presented by Minister for Climate Change Ms Sherry Rehman.

ISLAMABAD, Aug 09 (APP): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday announced a package to facilitate the overseas Pakistan with various initiatives and expressed the optimism that the upcoming government would continue its implementation.

The prime minister, on the occasion, said that Pakistani diaspora were living in different parts of the world, and on the basis of their hard work, contributions and innovations, they had earned fame for the country.

Underlining the need to facilitate them without wasting time, he said such initiatives would provide the overseas Pakistanis a sort of encouragement.

“They are the great ambassadors of Pakistan. An if provided with the skill development training with certifications from the global companies, the Pakistani manpower can further supplement the valuable remittances being sent to the country,” he added.

In the Gulf and Europe, the prime minister said, there was huge market for the skilled labour, adding if the models and the patterns used by certain countries to train their manpower, were adopted in Pakistan, they could equip their manpower properly to meet the growing modern day requirements across the world.

The prime minister announced the package for the overseas Pakistan which included establishment of special courts to resolve the property issues faced by the expatriates, one such was being set up in Islamabad which would be replicated in other provinces, establishment of hot lines in the offices under all the chief secretaries and the ICT chief commissioner, setting up Overseas Commission in all provinces, reservation of 10 percent quota for the overseas Pakistanis in all public sector housing projects with 5 percent rebate in case of foreign exchange payment, establishment of dedicated counters at all airports of the country, awarding top ten overseas Pakistan who contributed remittances, allocation of 5 percent seats in the professional public sector educational institutes across Pakistan, need based scholarship to the overseas Pakistan in the pursuit of higher education, dedicated national saving schemes at attractive rates and linking of NADRA central system at the union levels for various facilities and increasing of number of camp offices for attestation of documents, online biometric verification and auto removal of blacklist passports etc.

The prime minister also appreciated the minister for overseas Pakistanis, the officials of ministry and their team for taking measures to facilitate the expatriate Pakistanis.    

Earlier, Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Sajid Tori highlighted the achievements of his ministry.

He said that online facilities were provided to the overseas Pakistanis including redressal of their issues regarding property issues, enrollment at Overseas Pakistanis Foundation schools, housing society, passports and others.

He said that they had signed agreements with 15 countries while 12 were under process to send manpower.

The ministry had sent about 1,227,000 Pakistani nationals to different countries, thus taking the number of overseas Pakistanis to over 10 million, he added.