ISLAMABAD: Amid strong protests by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-backed (PTI)-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) lawmakers, the National Assembly on Friday passed a resolution seeking another 120-day extension in seven “controversial” ordinances, issued by the previous caretaker administration.

The resolution seeking another 120-day extension in seven ordinances – all issued by the previous caretaker administration – was moved by Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, which was subsequently passed by the house despite protests by PTI-backed SIC MPs.

At the outset of the session, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F) objected to the resolution, but later they also voted in favour of the 120-day extension for the ordinances.

Caretakers say satisfied with own performance

The ordinances include Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (Amendment) Ordinance 2023, Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023, Pakistan Postal Services Management Board (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023, the National Highway Authority (Amendment) Ordinance 2023, the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023, the Privatization Commission (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023, and the Establishment of Telecommunication Appellate Tribunal Ordinance, 2023.

The law minister also laid two bills titled “the Civil Courts Amendment Bill, 2024” and the “Legal Aid and Justice Authority Amendment Bill, 2024” before the house. The chair referred the bills to the concerned standing committees – set to be formed soon – for further deliberation.

Speaking on the point of order, Omar Ayub Khan said that the opposition rejected the ordinances. He asked the speaker to take pictures of those favouring the ordinances as those were “passed to sell out Pakistan”.

He said that the lawmakers should first look into the ordinances as it meant for what, adding “I would like to know what the purpose of these ordinances is and tell me under oath how many people in the house have read them”.

He said that an ordinance pertaining to privatisation was introduced in the National Assembly, and even the lawmakers belonging to ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) members did not know about it. Terming the ordinances as “mischief” in the law, he questioned how many MPs have gone through the controversial Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023, and Pakistan Postal Services Management Board (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023.

“There are talks of selling these institutions of Pakistan, we are going on record on that,” he added.

He maintained that the ordinances would have serious financial implications and the opposition was not provided with the opportunity to read them and make up its mind whether to support or reject them, therefore “we reject all these ordinances”.

The moment, the law minister moved a resolution for an extension of another 120-day period of the ordinances. Abdul Qadir Patel of PPP sought permission from the speaker to speak on these ordinances.

He urged the speaker to constitute a committee which could review all the decisions taken by the caretaker government including the introduction of these ordinances as the previous interim administration had taken such decisions which did not fall in their domain.

“I think the caretaker administration had certainly violated its mandate by promulgating these ordinances and a committee should be formed to look into the controversy,” he added.

A lawmaker belonging to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F) said that the ordinances should have been laid in the house in the form of proper bills.

Naveed Qamar of PPP said that the speaker should have at least listened to their point of view and he has serious reservations about the way these ordinances are being presented. He said that he also has reservations about the content of some of the ordinances.

However, both PPP and JUI-F lawmakers voted in favour of the resolution which sought another 120-day period of extension for the above-mentioned ordinances.

Responding to the objections raised by the opposition lawmakers as well as those belonging to PPP and JUI-F, the minister for law and justice defended the ordinances and said all these ordinances would be discussed in the house committees, set to be formed soon.

“We can’t put the country on a path to prosperity and progress like this. You should engage in some soul-searching…writing letters to IMF (International Monetary Fund) and EU (European Union) will not yield any positive results,” he told PTI-backed SIC lawmakers in the house.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024