16-parliamentary year hurts constitutional progress

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ISLAMABAD: The parliament of Pakistan could achieve only 3/4 of its set agenda in its 16-parlimentary year due to consistent delays.

The government could present 20 constitutional drafts while six drafts were presented by the private stakeholders, less than the drafts approved by the previous government.

The theme of the Parliamentary Year 2015-2018 was maintaining credibility and standard of parliament. The parliamentary session completed on March 11, 2019, witnessed a shift of the political government and welcomed 51 new members.

As compared to 15-Parliamentary year, the performance of 2016-parliamentary year remained slow and irregular pertaining law making, keeping check and balance on the government performance, committees’ performance, and disciplined. However, time punctuality was much improved this year as compared to the last Parliamentary year.

According to Free and Fair Election Network, as compared to this year, last year as many as 33 government’s constitutional drafts, 17 private drafts were approved. Thin majority of the ruling party in the Parliament could be a reason of this low performance in the approval of drafts. Maximum numbers of draft were approved during the tenure of the PML-N government.

The ruling government has moved as many as seven drafts, of which three draft had already be moved in the Parliament but due to completion of the latter’s tenure could not be approved. The ruling government has also taken back his one draft.