NA passes record six bills in single day

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Wednesday did recording-making legislation by passing as many as six bills in a single day. The bills also included ‘Electoral Rolls (Amendment) Bill, 2015’ and ‘Delimitation of Constituencies (Amendment) Bill, 2015’. Four other bills included ‘Safeguard Measures (Amendment) Bill, 2015’, ‘Countervailing Duties Bill, 2015’, ‘ Anti-Dumping Duties Bill, 2015’ and ‘ National Tariff Commission Bill, 2015’. The Senate has already passed these four bills.
The Electoral Rolls (Amendment) Bill, 2015 provides for holding local governments elections under the Election Commission of Pakistan.
Under Article 140-A of the Constitution, the part to hold the local governments stand vested with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and in order to bring the hold of LG election within the preview of the ECP, it was necessary to make amendments in the existing Act.
The statement of objectives and reasons of the Delimitation of Constituencies (Amendment) Bill, 2015 says that as per verdict of the Supreme Court, the federal government may do the necessary enactment to powers of ECP to carry out delimitations of the constituencies.
The statement and objects and Reasons of the Safeguard Measures (Amendment) Bill, 2015 says that under the WTO agreement on safeguards, member countries can take safeguard measures, if it is established by the designated investigating authority through an investigation that there is sudden surge in imports and such imports have caused or are causing serious damage to the domestic industry producing similar or directly competitive product in the importing country.
In order to provide such protection to the domestic industry, the government of Pakistan promulgated the Safeguard Measures Ordinance, 2002.
The objectives of the bill included to prescribe the procedure for investigations and to specify the actions that National Tariff Commission can take to counter the effects of surge in imports of any products into Pakistan and to provide for alternative arrangement in contingencies for smoothly carrying out investigations and making determinations. Statements of objects and reasons of the Countervailing Duties Bill, 2015 says under the WTO Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (ASCM), member countries are allowed to protect their domestic industry from injurious effect of subsided imports.
As being a member of WTO, the government of Pakistan promulgated the Countervailing Duties Ordinance 2001 (CVD Ordinance) in accordance with ASCM. Statement and objects and reasons of the Anti-Dumping Duties Bill, 2015 says Pakistan has liberalized its trade particularly over the recent past.
The Anti-Dumping Duties Ordinance, 2015 gives effect in Pakistan to the WTO agreement on anti-dumping.