Ministry withdraws two bills from NA panel

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs has withdrawn the government bills “The Elections (Third Amendment) Bill, 2021” (Ord. No. XX of 2021) and “The Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2022” (Ord. No. I of 2022) from the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on Parliamentary Affairs.

The “Elections (Third Amendment) Bill, 2021” (Ord. No. XX of 2021) relates to the taking of an oath by the elected members within 40 days of his or her election, while the “Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2022” (Ord. No. I of 2022) lifts restrictions on elected representatives and office-bearers of the political party for the election campaign.

The Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs met with its Chairman and MNA Muhammad Abu Bakar for a briefing on the workings and performance of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.

The committee deferred the legislative business (private members’ bills), i.e., “The Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2019” (moved by MNA Riaz Fatyana), “The Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2020” (moved by Ms. Noreen Farooq Khan, MNA), and “The Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2020” (moved by MNA Rai Muhammad Murtaza Iqbal due to the non-availability of the movers. The Standing Committee of the National Assembly on Parliamentary Affairs was briefed by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs secretary on its objectives and assigned functions.

He apprised the committee that the ministry provides a window for the law-making process and coordinates with the President’s House, Parliament, and Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in this regard.