After the National Assembly Standing Committee on Law on Monday approved the 20th constitutional amendment bill despite the PML-N being absent from the meeting, the government assessed its options and after positive signalling from JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to support the bill, it decided to convene the session of the Lower House of parliament tomorrow (Wednesday).
To seek the JUI-F’s support, Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan Mian Manzoor Wattoo and former water and power minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf visited Maulana Fazlur Rehman. A source in the JUI-F told Pakistan Today that the JUI-F chief said his party in principle supported parliament’s protection to by-elections held under the incomplete election commission.
“However, the JUI-F chief said the government should provide the draft of the bill passed by the committee. Only after looking into the bill, the party would finalise its decision,” said the source. Earlier in the day, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Law and Justice approved the 20th amendment bill which aims at amending Article 218-2B to give protection to the by-elections on 23 constituencies which were held under the incomplete Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
However, PML-N members of the standing committee on law and justice did not attend the meeting that was held at the Parliament House with Begum Nasim Akhtar Chaudhry in the chair. Talking to Pakistan Today, PML-N member of the committee Anushe Rehman Khan confirmed that her party colleagues had boycotted the committee proceedings in protest over the government’s hegemonic designs.
“This is an improper conduct of the business by the coalition government. They cannot bulldoze bills by introducing the same on a short notice without consulting other political parties,” she said, adding that that her party would chalk out its strategy carefully. The standing committee meeting also called chairman of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) over issues relating to voter lists. The government, through the bill, has proposed an amendment in the Article 218 of the constitution, suggesting that an incomplete election commission should be considered legal.
The bill suggests that the chief election commissioner should be given extra responsibilities in the absence of one or more members.
The 20th amendment bill provides further that the Supreme Court had raised questions about holding of by-elections through an incomplete election commission. To grant legal protection to the incomplete election commission, this amendment is essential. However, the committee resolved that elections under the aegis of an incomplete election commission in future would not be given constitutional cover. During the meeting, ECP Secretary Ishtiak Ahmed informed the members that political parties urged not to coerce on electoral rolls, as it was politicians who will contest the polls, not judges. He added the ECP was tasked to get the voters’ lists ready and no one was authorised to meddle in ECP’s affair.
He said the commission would make the voter lists the way it thought fit, announcing that computerised voter lists would be available by end of May and the primary lists would be at hand by the end of the next month.
The secretary said the task mandated by the Supreme Court (SC) was not possible to be completed within 30 days keeping in view human limitations; accordingly, in pursuance of the court order, the result was a disorganised voter list.
However, Minister for Water and Power Syed Naveed Qamar said it was for the apex court to decide about its jurisdiction; so this forum should not be used for such a discussion. He also demanded to specify a period in law to afford protection to by-polls.
