The Senate has expedited legislation with adoption of seven bills from January 22 to February 6 this year, as the parliamentary year comes to close on March 12.
Earlier, the Senate passed seven bills, including one private member bill, during the period of July to December in 2012.
The running parliamentary year of the Senate started on March 12, 2012. The upper-house had passed a total of 13 government bills until now.
With the start of the parliamentary year the Senate had firstly received the Finance Bill, 2012 and made 145 recommendations on the bill. Then the Medical and Dental Council (Amendment) Bill, 2012 was passed on May 9, 2012, and then the Contempt of Court Bill, 2012 was passed on July 11, 2012.
After that the Drug Regularity Authority of Pakistan Bill, 2012 was passed with a gap of three months on October 17, 2012 due to a long debate was held on the bill by the members of Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Awami National Party (ANP).
Next month, the Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan Bill, 2012 was passed on November 13, 2012.
With the emergence of 2013, four more government bills were passed by the upper house from January 22 to 31, 2013. These bills included the Pakistan Academy of Letters Bill, 2012 passed on January 22, the Maritime Security Agency (Amendment) Bill, 2012 passed after just two days on January 24.
Besides, the Provincial Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2012 and the Pakistan Coinage (Amendment) Bill, 2012 were passed on the same date on January 31, 2013.
During February 2013, three other government bills, including the Investigation of Free Trial Bill, 2012, on the 1st day of the month. While the Trade Organizations Bill, 2012 and the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan Bill, 2012 were passed on February 6.
However, Senator Malik Rafique Rajwana of PML-N said that the government had been sleeping in the past. He added that legislation was the responsibility of the government, whereas, the bill should be introduced as per routine.
On the other hand Senator Col (R) Tahir Hussain Mashhadi of Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) viewed the fast legislation as a global parliamentary custom whenever tenure of the lower house came near to its end.
“The tenure of the National Assembly (NA) is going to end and the government wanted to pass the pending bills from the upper house,” he added.
He said this was a normal practice across the world. He further said that all the parties had developed consensus on these bills in the concerned standing committees.