Swearing in

The newly-convened house exhibited some maturity as the Speaker allowed PTI legislators to speak

The 16th National Assembly was sworn in amidst legal and political controversies, as members-elect resorted to playing to the gallery. The parliament has been reconstituted after a muscle-flexing of more than six month, since its dissolution in August 2023, which registers another defiance as per the Constitution. Likewise, high political polarisation and alleged gross violation of human rights are other aspects that culminated in tampering of mandate as almost half of the constituencies are in the dock by virtue of their claims on Form-45. Last to add to this unending crisscross is the ECP’s reservations on reserved seats allotment to the opposition benches, and the locking of horns by the President in convening the inaugural session.
The newly-convened house, nonetheless, exhibited some maturity as the Speaker allowed PTI legislators to speak, and they vented out their anger in a democratic manner. This was their return to the floor of the house after almost 22 months, and underscored the need for striking a common denominator of parliamentary supremacy. With 302 members in a total strength of 336, the house was incomplete, and this factor will keep the legality of the assembly on tenterhooks. As three-time PM Nawaz Sharif has returned to the National Assembly after seven years, and many from the lawyers’ fraternity — such as Barrister Gohar Khan, Latif Khosa and Sher Afzal Marwat — reaching the house on PTI tickets, a great mix of articulation and altercation seems round the corner.
The February 8 elections have posted a new chapter in democratic spirit, and this is in need of being eulogised. All claims on the ballot pretext and subsequent discrepancies must take a legal course of action, and due remedies be ensured. This is essential to keep the chariot of democracy on the tracks. With the country slipping in abject economic distress, inflation and societal volatility, the new house has a responsibility to shoulder by working for the collective betterment of countrymen. Ushering in a new phase of rapprochement and burying vendetta is the least that is required from the political strata.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 1^st, 2024
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