20th Amendment: Govt struggles to bring opposition on board

Government shied away from presenting the 20th Amendment Bill, deferred matter without giving alternative time frame

ISLAMABAD:

Negotiators from the government and opposition parties on Monday failed to break a deadlock on a constitutional amendment seeking legal protection for 28 parliamentarians suspended by the Supreme Court but decided to continue their dialogue in a desperate search for consensus.

Unable to secure the two-thirds majority needed for approval of a constitutional amendment in the National Assembly, the government once again shied away from presenting the 20th Amendment Bill on Monday and deferred the matter without giving an alternative time frame.

The 20th Amendment Bill is intended to provide legal cover to the actions of the chief election commissioner (CEC) during the time when the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was incomplete, as defined by the 18th Amendment.

The bill suggests an amendment to Article 219 of the Constitution that relates to “duties of  the commission” through insertion of a new proviso: “Provided always that till such time the members of the commission are appointed in accordance with Article 218(2), the commissioner shall remain charged with the duties enumerated in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of this article.”

Negotiations continued outside the parliament.

Meeting hours after the court’s decision earlier in the day, top leaders from across the political spectrum held a marathon meeting to discuss how to reach at some common ground on the amendment.

The PML-N had also called for appointing a new chief of the ECP to replace what it considers a ‘handpicked’ choice of President Asif Ali Zardari.

Furthermore, the opposition party wanted the government to enhance the tenure of ECP members from current two to five years.

Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan told the media after the meeting that talks had stalled because the government was not forthcoming in meeting the PML-N’s demands.

He said the government was trying to give extension to the current chief election commissioner which was not acceptable to the opposition. Chaudhry Nisar said his party wanted the appointment of election body chief after a “consensus” between the prime minister and opposition leader – and that mere “consultation” was not acceptable.

Religious Affairs Minister Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah, who led the government negotiators, made an attempt to play down differences, claiming that talks were moving ahead positively and a breakthrough was expected shortly.

“Democracy flourishes with differences and such negotiations to overcome them … it is part of the game,” said Shah, painting a picture totally different from what Nisar portrayed.

Syed Naveed Qamar and Senator Raza Rabbani from the PPP and Senator Ishaq Dar and Khawja Asif from PML-N were also present in the meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 7^th, 2012.