Disqualified lawmakers can lead political fronts, Electoral Reforms Bill 2017 enacted
Law minister Zahid Hamid tabled the bill triggering a furore from the opposition benches
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Government has adopted Electoral Reforms Bill 2017 on Monday (October 2nd) after its approval in the Senate, National Assembly and by the state executive, paving way for disqualified public office holders to lead political fronts.
A session of the National Assembly approved the bill today before it was signed by President Mamnoon Hussain in the night to make it a law.
The law was enacted by the night of October 2nd.
During the National Assembly session today, law minister Zahid Hamid tabled the bill triggering a furore from the opposition benches who branded it a contradiction of Article 62 and Article 63 of the Constitution of Pakistan.
Opposition members tore copies of the bill and circled National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq’s dais to record their protest.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that the clause that was proposed to be added in the bill contradicted with the Article 62 and Article 63 of the Constitution of Pakistan.
PTI vice chairman demanded exclusion of Section 203 in the draft however, none of the recommendations of the opposition parties were entertained.
Qureshi said that the provision, if the parliament goes ahead with approving it, would be challenged in the courts.
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Members of the opposition chanted slogans and protested against the proceedings of the House.
Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rasheed addressed the lawmakers and said that the House was moving to risk democracy by mending the laws for a person.
He claimed that the government was going to ‘play with the dignity of the polls’ in Pakistan.
AML leader said that Pakistan has never in the history bore satisfactory results of any clash.
Session of the assembly was previously to be convened on October 4th but it was rescheduled for October 2nd. According to the reports that surfaced earlier this week, the rescheduling was done to in accordance with Nawaz Sharif s plan to fly to London.
Subsequently, a meeting of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz on Tuesday (October 3rd) is likely to re-elect Nawaz Sharif as the party president.
He is likely to leave for London the next day on Wednesday to join his family in his Mayfair residence.
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