Joint Session of Parliament passes three govt bills

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Tue, 25 Jul 2023, 6:37 PM

ISLAMABAD, Jul 25 (APP): The Joint Session of the Parliament on Tuesday passed three government bills and deferred eight others till next sitting after the speaker’s direction for giving time to the lawmakers for consideration on amendments proposed in them.

The bills passed by the Parliament were the Qanun-e-Shahadat (Amendment) Bill, 2023; the Control of Narcotics Substances (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and the Petroleum (Amendment) Bill, 2023.

Speaking on the Control of Narcotics Substances (Amendment) Bill, 2023, Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar emphasized the necessity of enhancing procedures and ensuring that culprits were fully aware of the consequences they would face upon committing any crime.

He expressed confidence that the amendments proposed in this bill would lead to significant improvements in the system.

Natiional Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf, who was chairing the session, directed to defer eight bills and give time to the lawmakers for consideration on amendments proposed in them. The deferred bills included the Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2023; the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2023; the Exit from Pakistan (Control) (Amendment) Bill, 2023; the Maintenance and Welfare of Old Parents and Senior Citizens Bill, 2023; the Civil Servants (Amendment) Bill, 2023; the Banking Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2023; the International Institute of Technology, Culture and Health Sciences Bill, 2023 and the Code of Civil Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2023

The sub-section 1 of section 129 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in National Assembly says: “When a motion that a Bill be taken into consideration is carried, any member may propose an amendment to the Bill. If notice of an amendment has not been given one clear day before the day on which the relevant clause of or Schedule to the Bill is to be considered any member may object to the moving of the amendment and such objection shall prevail unless the Speaker allows the amendment to be moved.”

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Senator Syed Ali Zafar and Pakistan Peoples Party’s senators Mian Raza Rabbani and Taj Haider mainly raised objections on the amendments proposed in the section 230- (a) of the Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2023 related to the functions of the caretaker government.

However, the law minister clarified various points raised by the lawmakers and said that every amendments in the particular bill was discussed in the parliamentary committee.

It was agreed to have a detailed discussion on all amendments in the next sitting.

The government withdrew the Protection of Parents Bill, 2023. The law minister cited that a private lawmaker, Rana Maqbool Ahmad, had already introduced an identical bill that fulfilled the government’s objectives.

The joint sitting was adjourned till 12:30 p.m. July 26 (Wednesday).

APP/muk-zah-raz

Irfan Siddiqui stresses need for maximum consensus on legislation

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NNPS Desk

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Tue, 25 Jul 2023, 6:29 PM

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ISLAMABAD, Jul 25 (APP): Senator Irfan ul Haq Siddiqui on Tuesday stressed the need for maximum consensus on legislation as it remained for a long time.

Speaking in the Joint Sitting of the Parliament, he appreciated the chair for giving its ruling in that regard. Governments changed after passage of time but the legislation and laws remained in place for long time, he added.

He said those who were taking about the supremacy and sovereignty of the Parliament, their government promulgated record 70 ordinances during their three and a half years tenure.

ECP defers PTI chief’s indictment in contempt case till Aug 2

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Tue, 25 Jul 2023, 6:25 PM

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ISLAMABAD, Jul 25 (APP): The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday deferred the indictment of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman in a contempt case till August 2.

However, the four-member ECP bench presided over by Nisar Durrani suspended its arrest warrants of the accused on his appearance before the Commission. The ECP has been carrying out contempt proceedings against the PTI chief for using “indecent” language against the electoral body and the Chief Election Commissioner.

The PTI chief’s counsel, Shoaib Shaheen, requested for an adjournment of the hearing till September, stating that he was a new lawyer in the case and needed time to gather all the facts.

The bench accepted the request and rescheduled the hearing for August 2, when it would frame charges against the PTI chief.

On Monday, the ECP issued the PTI chief’s arrest warrants with the directive to the Federal Capital Police to arrest the accused and present him before it on Tuesday.

The ECP had initiated contempt proceedings against the PTI chief, Asad Umar, and Fawad Chaudhry last year.

Asad Umar’s plea for exemption from the hearing was accepted, while the PTI chief and Fawad failed to appear before the Commission on Monday, resulting in the issuance of their arrest warrants.

Wang Yi appointed foreign minister of China

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Tue, 25 Jul 2023, 6:15 PM

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BEIJING, July 25 (APP): Wang Yi was appointed as foreign minister of China by the country’s top legislature on Tuesday.

China’s top legislature also voted to appoint Pan Gongsheng as central bank governor, as it convened a session.

Qin Gang was removed from the post of foreign minister he concurrently held; Yi Gang was removed from the post of governor of the People’s Bank of China, according to a decision adopted at the fourth session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC).

Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a presidential order to effectuate the decision.

Zhao Leji, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, presided over the session, which opened on Tuesday morning. A draft amendment to the Criminal Law was reviewed at the session, Chinese media reported.

The amendment focuses on better implementing the Party Central Committee’s principles and policies regarding the fight against corruption and the protection of private enterprises in accordance with the law.

It refines stipulations concerning the crime of offering bribes as well as corruption conducted by private enterprise personnel.

On Tuesday afternoon, Zhao presided over a meeting of the Council of Chairpersons of the NPC Standing Committee before the closing meeting of the session.

The closing meeting, attended by 169 members of the NPC Standing Committee, approved the personnel appointments and removals.

Amendments in ECP bill finalized in consultation with political parties: Tarar

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Tue, 25 Jul 2023, 6:06 PM

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azam nazeer tarar-ecp — ISLAMABAD: July 20 – Federal Minister for Law and Justice, Senator Azam Nazir Tarar addressing an important press conference. APP

ISLAMABAD, Jul 25 (APP): Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar on Tuesday said the proposed amendments in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Bill were finalized in consultation with all the political parties represented in the Parliament.

Speaking at the Joint Session of the Parliament, the minister said a special committee led by Sardar Ayaz Sadiq having representation of various political parties, held a series of meetings for thorough deliberations on the amendments.

The members, including Syed Naveed Qamar, Dr Fahmida Mirza, Chaudhary Tariq Bashir Cheema, Syed Amin-ul-Haque, Muhammad Afzal Khan Dhandla, Agha Hassan Baloch, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Senator Taj Haider, Senator Kamran Murtaza, Senator Manzoor Ahmed, and Senator Syed Ali Zafar actively participated in the discussions, he added.

The minister said the bill was examined clause by clause by the committee members, whose written submissions were included in the final report .

Tarar asserted that all the amendments were prepared with consensus, reflecting a harmonious approach from all the political parties.

Responding to the objections raised by some members regarding the inclusion of bills in the agenda without sharing copies, the minister clarified that some bills had been pending for two years and were now included in the agenda due to the approaching end of the present Parliament’s tenure.

He said the bills had been widely circulated in the House many times before, with numerous debates conducted, dismissing any notion of ill intent behind their inclusion.

Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif supported the law minister’s statement, affirming that all amendments in the Elections Commission bill were made with the consensus of all political parties present in the Parliament.

He criticized the previous Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government for its practice of carrying out legislation without adequate consultation with political parties.

Senators Raza Rabbani, Mushtaq Ahmed, Syed Ali Zafar and Kamaran Murtza voiced their objections regarding the legislation agenda shared for the joint session.

They expressed the concern that the lawmakers were not given adequate time to thoroughly review the proposed legislation to be passed by the House.

They said copies of the legislation had not been shared with the parliamentarians, making it difficult for them to participate effectively in the session.

The senators emphasized the importance of a strengthened parliament and suggested that the legislation be delayed by two to three days to allow ample time to the lawmakers to study the proposed bills properly.