Some important legislation relating to the national accountability commission, terrorism, Gwadar Port and dual nationality is expected in the upcoming session of the National Assembly scheduled to be held on November 12. According to sources, the government wanted to maximise legislation in the next National Assembly session because it might be the last sitting of the Lower House of Parliament before its dissolution.
After the session, a caretaker government might be set up for the upcoming general elections, sources said. They said that the PPP-led coalition government was making efforts to persuade its coalition partners, particularly Awami National Party (ANP), for the passage of the 'National Accountability Commission Bill, 2012' and 'Dual Nationality Bill, 2012'. The ANP had earlier opposed these bills when the government had tabled them in parliament.
In the previous session, nearly 80 per cent of items on National Assembly's agenda remained unattended. However, sources said, the upcoming session of the National Assembly could be last two weeks and might even continue for a month. Sources said that the government also wanted to legislate the conversion of death sentences into life imprisonment's. To achieve this end, the government was likely to introduce a bill in the session. In the previous session, 'The Gwadar Port Authority Bill, 2012' was tabled in the House, but it could not be passed because of the absence of the minister concerned and some objections raised by the main opposition party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).