Senate nod for CPEC Authority

ISLAMABAD: The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority on Thursday got a legal cover in the Senate with the unanimous passage of the CPEC Authority Bill, 2021, in opposition’s absence which had insisted on its referral to the house panel for deliberations and report.

Apparently, it took many, including the Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, by surprise when towards the fag-end of the proceedings, Adviser on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan rose to seek permission to move the supplementary agenda item.

Leader of the Opposition in the House PPP’s Yusuf Raza Gilani contended they had no objection to the bill and recognised the special relationship of Pakistan with China. He, however, objected to bringing it in the house through supplementary agenda at the end of the day.

“Why it cannot be taken up tomorrow”, he questioned and said it should be referred to the standing committee.

To this, Leader of the House Dr Shahzad Waseem rejected the objection, saying it was the right of the government to bring supplementary agenda any time and he urged the chair to take the sense of the house on whether the bill should be sent to the committee or otherwise.

The bill landed in the house through supplementary agenda and after objection by the opposition, instead of the adviser, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Senator Shibli Faraz moved the bill in the house.

Whereas, Babar Awan initially tried to move a motion seeking immediate consideration of the bill on behalf of Planning Minister Asad Umar, however, he had to give the way to the minister.

Though, the opposition senators wanted the bill to be sent to the hitherto non-existent standing committee concerned, Dr Shahzad Waseem highlighting the urgency said it was an important project linked with economic prosperity of Pakistan. He said the budget for the next fiscal year was just around the corner and the bill’s immediate passage was essential for budgetary consideration.

Opposition members, finding no other option, left the house when the motion was being moved. The house allowed consideration of the bill and unanimously passed it amidst a walkout by the opposition.

But before this bill, the opposition had defeated the government by one vote to block the immediate passage of a human rights bill moved by Human Rights Minister Dr Shireen Mazari, who wanted the bill to establish an effective system of protection, relief and rehabilitation of women, children, elders and any vulnerable person against domestic violence [The Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill, 2021] to immediately sail through Senate but the opposition insisted on sending it to the standing committee first.

The opposition leader agreed that it was an important legislation that took months to be cleared from the National Assembly but said it should be referred to the standing committee first.

To this, Dr. Mazari pointed out that the bill remained pending for 10 months with the National Assembly’s standing committee on human rights headed by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Dr Shahzad Waseem asked the chair to take sense of the house on taking up the bill for immediate passage. The opposition defeated the government by 35-34 through voice vote and the bill was referred to the standing committee concerned. The Senate chairman directed the yet-to-be-formed committee to present its report to the house two days after its formation.