Three months after Senate elections: Once vibrant committee system still not back on track

ISLAMABAD: The Senate committee system is yet to get back on track nearly three months after the election to half of the Upper House of Parliament.

The standing committees are still in the process of constitution and the election of their chairmen is still underway. In the absence of a functioning committee system, the business of law-making is at a standstill with no House panel having any important piece of legislation for consideration. The Senate adopts bills only after their clearance by the concerned standing committee.

Even otherwise, the Senate does not have much of a legislative agenda before it. The much-touted election reforms, which have been partially introduced through a presidential ordinance, have still not been laid before the Upper House. They mainly provide for the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in parliamentary polls and voting rights to overseas Pakistanis. However, even after the legislation by the executive in the form of an ordinance, the ECP has been lukewarm on the use of EVMs as well as giving the right of vote to overseas Pakistanis on the grounds that both suggestions are impractical. The ordinance has also been challenged by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

The record shows that at present the Senate has only four bills for consideration that it has received from the National Assembly after approval. They are the Pakistan Arms (Amendment) Bill, Pakistan PAF War College Institute Bill, Islamabad Capital Territory Seniors Act and the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill.

As per the respective numerical strengths of the ruling coalition and the opposition parties, the two sides have bagged, or are in the process of getting, due representation in the Senate committees as well as for the posts of their chairmen. They have ultimately worked out a formula for due representation after a lot of wrangling.

Even after their defeat in the election for the Senate chairman, the opposition parties have a visible edge over the ruling alliance in the Upper House. Keeping this factor in view, pushing through legislation of its choice is not easy for the government. A bipartisan approach may be needed for smooth legislation in the future. Recently, the China Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority Bill, which was held up for more than a year, was finally passed by the Senate after the opposition relented.

Before the Senate elections, the governing alliance was very optimistic arguing that the electoral outcome would enable it to accelerate its legislative reform agenda that it had promised to the nation. However, any practical steps towards this end continue to be absent three months after the Senate polls. It is likely that the government will try to push its bills through the Senate after the process of deciding the composition of the standing committees and selection of their chairmen is completed.

Unlike the situation in the National Assembly, the Senate committee system has traditionally been very vibrant and robust since 1985. It is known to deliberate seriously upon a host of important national issues and its committees have come up with many significant reports on various key matters.