Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli has said the MMA's agitation call against the government over adoption of uniform bill from the Parliament is bound to fail, saying that masses are satisfied with the performance of the government.
She was talking to reporters here on Thursday after presiding over ceremony of Accreditation of City University of Science and Information Technology by the British Accreditation Council UK.
"The time will tell that the passage of the uniform bill by the parliament was in the larger national interest or not," the state minister told newsmen. She said, "majority decides the maters in a democratic set-up" and referred to the legislation with respect to 17th amendment and the uniform bill to substantiate her viewpoint.
Ms Tahirkheli said: "It is a bill passed by the parliament to give certain discretionary powers to the head of state to exercise them at the time of need keeping in view the interest of the country supreme."
Simple majority required to get passed the uniform bill from the parliament, she said, adding, it has nothing to do with legislation, which is done through two-thirds of majority.
She said, Article 41 sub-clause-7(B) of the Constitution allowed the president to keep two offices in time of need and the opposition was well aware of it. She elaborated that Article 41 sub-clause-7(B) was incorporated in the Constitution through 17th amendment with the support of the opposition.
However, she said, "if MMA leaders still want to bring the matter on road for agitation, they have the democratic right to do so."
The minister of state said that the second option available to the opposition is to seek interpretation and legality of the uniform bill is the apex court.
The minister urged the opposition to avoid the path of agitation keeping in view the internal, regional and international scenario and extend support to the government in its endeavours to overcome the prevailing problems.
QUORUM PROBLEM: To a question about the quorum problem in the Senate and the National Assembly, she clarified that it had never been the problem in both the houses and the government completed its legislation business with a majority.
Except for one occasion, quorum never remained a problem in the Senate. On that particular day, the opposition was in a mood to have a holiday.
In reply to a question, Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli said that the present government was for promotion of democracy and said, "there are no restrictions on freedom of press, freedom of expression and freedom of information and the media is free to write anything it deemed suitable."