PHOTO: File
The bill moved by Law Minister Zahid Hamid says the existing total number of 272 general seats and 60 seats reserved for women would be retained. However, Balochistan will get three more seats, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa will get five more and Islamabad one.
The final results of the census of 2017 are expected in April next year and the process of delimitation of the constituencies on the basis of the final results may hinder the timely holding of the next general elections expected in July or August 2018.
Keeping in view the time constraints faced by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), leaders of the parliamentary parties in the house had decided in a meeting earlier this week to retain 272 general seats of the NA.
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When the bill was tabled, Syed Naveed Qamar of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) opposed it. He contended that the bill could not be tabled in the present form and it would be unconstitutional. “This bill needs to be sent to the Council of Common Interests (CCI) [first] for holding debate on it,” he stated.
Dr Farqooq Sattar of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) expressed reservations on the census results. He contended that delimitations “are done on the basis of number of votes and not on number of people”.
“Let’s suppose, I accept the provincial results of the census for holding timely election in the country, but who would address the reservations,” he said.
Dr Shireen Mazari of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said her party had decided in principle to support the bill. But at the same time, she stressed the need for addressing reservations of the opposition parties. “In principal we don’t want delay in elections,” she insisted.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) parliamentary leader Sahibzada Tariqullah also supported the bill. Mahmood Achakzai of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) said that the bill had the complete support of each and every party.
Achakzai said all had agreed in the meeting, presided by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, that they would support the bill when introduced in the House. “Have they [opposition parties] received directions from somewhere to create issues about it? We had made promise [of support], and if now there is any compulsion to oppose it, then we openly say sorry,” he stated.
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According to the proposed bill, the number of general seats in the National Assembly will remain 272 with 60 reserved for women. However, Punjab will have nine less seats – seven general and two reserved for women.
Out of these nine seats, two general and one reserved for women will go to Balochistan and four general and one women seat will be added to the strength of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Islamabad capital territory (ICT) will get an additional general seat.
Sindh – with 61 general seats and 14 seats reserved for women – and the Federally-Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) – with 12 general seats – will have their strengths unchanged. Similarly, 10 minorities-reserved seats would also be maintained, making the total strength of the House 342.
Earlier, Opposition Leader Syed Khursheed Shah strongly criticised the government for increasing the prices of petroleum products. Shah said the House wanted a 5% decrease in the sales tax on petrol and also called for an 8% decrease in the sales tax on diesel.
He was of the view that the government did not lower the petroleum products’ prices when they fell internationally but increased the prices in the country when there was even a slight rise in the world market.
“Technocrats don’t do much but show as if they have done a lot,” Shah said, as he remained unsatisfied after Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal gave an explanation on the issue.
“Motorways are being built through loans. The government should also tell us what they have done in the health sector. Women are giving birth on roads in Lahore. You are unwilling to supply electricity to smaller provinces,” he charged.
PTI’s Shah Mehmood Qureshi supported his viewpoint.
Interior minister Iqbal defended the government over the fuel price hike, saying that Pakistan had the lowest prices in the entire region. “The government has always tried its best to provide relief to people,” he added.
The minister also said the level of investment in the country had set a new record.
Earlier, newly-elected legislator, Arbab Amir Ayub of the PTI, took oath as MNA which was administered by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq.
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