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.