Heavy agenda looms for upcoming NA session

Three bills requisitioned by the PML-N will be taken up from the unfinished agenda of the last session.

ISLAMABAD: The upcoming session of the National Assembly will have a heavy legislative agenda to deal with when it is scheduled to meet on September 20, along with the unfinished agenda of the last session.

According to National Assembly secretariat sources, the three bills that were on order of the day in the last session requisitioned by the PML-N will be taken up in the coming session.

These bills include the Competition Bill 2009 that provides for free competition in all spheres of commercial and economic activity, enhances economic efficiency and protects consumers from anti-competitive behavior, the Sacked Employees Bill 2010 that provides relief to persons in corporation service, or autonomous or semi-autonomous bodies, or in government service who were dismissed, removed or terminated from service and an amendment bill to further amend the Rulers of Acceding States Bill (Abolishment of Privy Purses and Privileges) (Amendment) Bill, 2009.

The House is also likely to take up the proposed bills on National Disaster Management Authority and National Accountability Commission that have been pending for a long time. Several ordinances have lapsed during the past couple of months since they could not be tabled in the parliament within the stipulated time. Some important adjournment motions, which include the motion submitted by PML-N on the reported shoe-throwing incident in Birmingham, the anti-Pakistan statement of David Cameron in India, the maltreatment meted out to high-level military delegation at a US airport, and the raise in power tariff, could provide ample opportunity to the main opposition party to show its muscles.

The pending privilege motions of PML-N and MQM against each other’s leadership could also be taken up during the session, which could result in a showdown between the two parties if PPP’s arbitrary efforts fail to calm them down.

PPP sources said it would also try to assuage the concerns of PML-N on the proposed Accountability Commission that had been drafted in April, but could not be taken up due to serious differences between the two parties on some clauses.

After hectic back-door lobbying, the two parties have agreed on the bill through give-and-take formula. The meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Law and Justice has been convened for September 16.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 11^th, 2010.