The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz put all speculations about a possible split within the party to rest when it defeated a Nawaz Sharif-specific opposition bill in the National Assembly. NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq announced the result of the 163-98 vote in a charged assembly hall, amid heavy sloganeering from both sides of the aisle. Former prime minister and government ally Zafarullah Khan Jamali openly voted with the opposition benches.The Muttahida Qaumi Movement also voted with the opposition. The amendment aimed to remove clause 203 from the act, which allowed former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to reclaim his position as the president of the PML-N following his disqualification by the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers case. The bill, which has already been passed by the opposition-dominated Senate last month, was sub-mitted to the National Assembly by Syed Naveed Qamar and Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho of the Pakistan People’s Party. As the bill has already been passed by the Senate, the government will now have to place it before a joint sitting of parliament for a final vote. In order to ensure the presence of maximum members, Prime Minister Shahid Khagan Abbasi hosted a luncheon for party legislators before chairing a meeting of the parliamentary group.
Privatisation Minister Daniyal Aziz later told reporters that 167 MNAs were present in the meeting, adding that such a large turnout proved that the PML-N was united under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif and that all reports of rifts and forward blocs within the party had been proven wrong. Law Minister Zahid Hamid said that disqualification clauses of Section 5 were laid in Political Parties Act, 1962, during tenure of a dictator and were expunged by the democratic government of PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1975. He said that a parliamentary committee was formed in 2014 to recommended electoral reforms to be merged in one law and a meeting omitted the said clause.
Political parties are showing irresponsible attitude and creating unnecessary hurdles in passage of delimitation bill in upper house of the parliament. The ECP had clearly said it needs Parliament to pass necessary legislation in line with the latest census if next year’s elections are to be held on time. The persisting deadlock on delimitation bill can delay upcoming elections. Political parties should show maturity and the delimitation exercise must be completed as soon as possible so that election can be held on time. All political parties should not delay this constitutional obligation for their vested political gains.
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