File photo of President Asif Ali Zardari. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
President Asif Ali Zardari has summoned simultaneous sessions of both houses of Parliament on Monday. The National Assembly and Senate are expected to discuss important pending legislative business.
According to an official of the National Assembly Secretariat, the lower house will consider the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Bill, Electoral Reform Amendment Bill and National Accountability Bill during the session.
The Senate is likely to take up the 24th Constitutional Amendment Bill 2012 for creating new provinces in Punjab. The bill has already been tabled in the upper house and was referred to the concerned committee for further discussion.
However, the bill is unlikely to sail through the house, especially after the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), a key ally of the government, pulled out of the PPP-led ruling coalition.
MQM Senator Col (retd) Tahir Mashahdi said that except for the 24th Constitutional Amendment Bill, his party would not support the PPP and would follow merit. “We will formally apply for opposition benches in both the houses and play our role as opposition lawmakers”, he added.
The MQM has 25 members in the National Assembly and seven in the Senate.
The two houses of Parliament will also discuss the deteriorating law and order situation in the country, with particular reference to Saturday’s deadly bombing in Quetta targeting the Shia Hazara community.
According to sources, the sessions of the houses will continue till the end of this month. This would be the National Assembly’s 50th session of the 5th parliamentary year. It might also be the last session as the National Assembly term ends by mid March. The house will have another sitting in the first week of March in case it fails to complete its required days in this session.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 18th, 2013.
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