Four years on: The National Assembly, in retrospect...

What sailed through, what got stuck and what shook the lower house.

ISLAMABAD:

Completing its four-year tenure, the 13th National Assembly (NA) passed a total of 50 resolutions and 91 ordinances during its four parliamentary years with private members taking the lead in legislation-making — with the next session (Wednesday) marking the start of the fifth year.

Private members of the lower house emerged as the major contributors of legislative business since the house passed 147 private member bills as compared to the 95 government-sponsored bills since March 17, 2008. The same trend dominated last year when 40 private member bills were moved as compared to the 27 government-sponsored bills.

Strengthening democracy: Tall claims?

The passage of the 20th Constitutional Amendment in February this year was dubbed by both the government and opposition a step towards “strengthening of democracy”. Though the government managed a unanimous approval in the lower house of parliament after several hectic rounds of negotiations with the opposition, it could not manage to get a unanimous approval from the Senate.

The 20th Amendment – third by the incumbent government – has laid down the scheme of installing a caretaker setup and empowered the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for holding free, fair and transparent election in the future.

In agreement during times of peril

In addition to legislative business, the lower house condemned through unanimous resolutions blatant interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs by the US through a Congressional hearing on Balochistan.

The government also managed to sail through the NA a pro-democracy resolution amid a standoff between the civil and military leadership in the wake of the Memogate scandal but failed to garner the support of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) – to have a unanimous approval.

Corruption-free services, implementation of previous resolutions and decisions of judiciary, elimination load-shedding, controlling inflation, creating employment opportunities were the demands of the PML-N which the government rejected.

Agreeing to disagree

However, the parliamentary year which started on March 16, 2011 could not bring any change for the much-trumpeted National Accountability Commission Bill, which is lying with the house’s Standing Committee on Law and Justice since 2009 — the government and main opposition could not reach an agreement to overcome their tussle.

The PML-N had submitted four dissenting notes on the bill which relate to the retrospective applicability of this law, eligibility for appointing the head of the proposed accountability commission, “immunity” proposed for a holder of public office for any wrongdoing committed in “good faith” and repeal of the clause allowing the government to ask foreign countries to freeze accounts and assets of a person involved in a corruption case.

The PML-N has requested to send the bill to the house for a vote with its dissenting notes, but Chairperson Begum Naseem Akhter Chaudhry says the bill would be presented in the NA after the committee achieves consensus.

The female factor

During the year, women legislators continued to mark their presence, asserting themselves in their lawmaking and oversight roles. Female parliamentarians materialised efforts of civil society and rights organisations to bring justice to victims of acid attacks after the lower house passed a bill proposing strict punishment for perpetrators of the heinous crime.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 13^th, 2012.