Ruling coalition plans key legislations

President summons National Assembly, Senate sessions

ISLAMABAD:

President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday called the National Assembly and the Senate sessions in the next week just a day after his son and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to deliberate on the ongoing political situation and discuss upcoming legislative agenda, primarily, dealing with the economic issues but, ultimately, having an impact in the judicial territory.

According to the presidency, the president has summoned the session of the National Assembly on August 26 (Monday) and the Senate on August 27 (Tuesday) under Article 54(1) of the Constitution. Sources in the ruling coalition revealed that some crucial legislation is likely to be passed by the PML-N government with the support of its allies in the upcoming sessions.

On Thursday, following the Shehbaz-Bilawal meeting, the sources had revealed that the government is bringing some important legislation in the upcoming sessions. However, without sharing details about it, it was said that the PPP was taken into confidence for its support in parliament.

The PPP-PML-N meeting had come on the heels of an ongoing friction between the two allies and non-implementation of the Punjab agreement earlier reached as the PPP has constantly been claiming that the ruling PML-N neither consults nor takes PPP into confidence regarding key issues and policies.

The sources said that the ruling coalition is busy contemplating that the retirement age of all superior courts' judges should be extended by two years to decrease the budget of pensions.

The Shehbaz-Bilawal meeting had also come amid reports that the government was envisaging constitutional amendments to extend Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa's tenure.

They said that the legislation will not be CJP-specific but changes regarding the retirement age will be introduced as an "economic necessity" and that will ultimately have an impact on many, including judges, among others. A member of the ruling coalition, however, differed from the information, saying it's "not possible" as any such thing "requires constitutional amendment".

The comment stems from the fact that the government currently doesn't have the required number in the National Assembly to amend the Constitution. The situation had changed after the membership of 23 MNAs elected on reserved seats was suspended. They were elected on reserved seats after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had refused to give them to the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) and distributed among other parties.

The PTI, which is sitting in the parliament under SIC banner, had taken the matter to the Supreme Court, which declared through a majority judgment on July 12 that PTI was a parliamentary party and entitled to get reserved seats.

Since the members of the ruling coalition are mostly tight-lipped about the upcoming legislative business, the capital was rife with all kinds of speculations ranging from CJP's extension to ECP giving back seats to the ruling coalition as the newly-passed election law bars it from giving the seats to PTI-SIC.

Despite some disagreeing with the rumors making rounds, no one categorically denied if things were not moving in this direction. "No such thing in my knowledge," was the usual response by members of the ruling party when asked to comment on the situation.