PTI government introduces 4 bills in NA

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government on Wednesday introduced four bills including the 'Port Qasim Authority Bill, 2019' in the National Assembly.

The government also presented the 'China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority Ordinance, 2019' before the House. The House also passed a resolution to extend the National Information Technology Board Ordinance, 2019 for a further period of one hundred and twenty days.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Syed Naveed Qmar while opposing the Port Qasim Authority Bill, 2019 said that Supreme Court had defined this issue and the bill would be approved from the cabinet before being introduced in the House. He said that in the bill the word of federal government is used instead of cabinet. He said, "If you change word then there is need of constructional amendment." He said that it is contempt of court.

Federal Minster for Parliamentary Affairs Azam Swati said that the government is following the law and the Parliament has power to legislate.

Syed Naveed Qamar also criticized the government for laying and extending the ordinance in the House. He said that there is a window in the Constitution for promulgation of ordinance only in emergency situation.

According to statement of objects of the 'Port Qasim Authority Bill, 2019,' "In the terms of Supreme Court decision in Al-Mustafa Impex case, the federal government has been defined as federal cabinet. Hence disposal of routine matters in Port Qasim Authority takes lengthy procedure and loss of government exchequer for presenting the cases before the federal cabinet. The powers of the federal government envisaged in the ibid Act have been specified in the proposed PQA Amendment Bill, 2019."

The government also introduced the 'Gwadar Port Authority (Amednment) Bill, 2019, the Privatization Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2019 and the Surveying and Mapping (Amendment) Bill, 2019.