A joint session of Senate and National assembly passed around 29 draft bills with a majority vote
In a historic decision on a “historic day”, a joint sitting of the Parliament of Pakistan on Wednesday passed a bill to use electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the next general elections in the country in 2023 and granted the right to cast vote to around nine million Pakistani nationals residing overseas.
A joint session of the Senate and National Assembly was convened by the government to pass around 29 draft bills with a majority vote. The bills were passed amid uproar and protest by the opposition members, who walked out of the session after ripping the copies of the agenda and proposed legislations.
“Today is a historic day,” said foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi while delivering a speech on the floor of the house. “The EVMs are being introduced to bury evil and vicious designs.”
Imran Khan and his party has been advocating the use of electronic voting since Khan took over as Prime Minister in 2018, maintaining that it is the only way to put an end to repeated rigging allegations in elections. On the other hand, the opposition parties and the country’s election regulatory authority, Election Commission of Pakistan, have shown reservations on use of electronic voting machines, as they believe a hasty use of these devices can undermine free and fair elections.
Opposition vows to challenge the bill
The opposition blocs, however, termed it as a “black day” for the parliament and vowed to challenge “the controversial and black law” at every forum including the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
“Today is the black day for parliament,” Shehbaz Sharif, leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, said. “A rigged government is imposed on us, and now they want to impose the EVMs on us.”
The opposition leader termed the electronic voting machines as “evil and vicious” while accusing the government of trying to steal the next elections by deploying them at polling stations across the country.
Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, urged the government to develop a consensus before passing any law on electoral reforms so that the next general elections do not become controversial.
“I don’t accept these election reforms,” he said. “We will challenge this law at every forum including the Supreme Court.”
The Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Bill, 2021
The joint session also passed a bill to ensure speedy resolution of rape and sexual abuse crimes in involving women and children. The cases will be resolved by special investigation teams and special courts.
The Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Bill, 2021 aims to provide efficacious procedures, speedy trial, evidence collection and matters connected to it. Another bill to effectively tackle the pervading instances of rape and sexual abuse in respect of women and children through changes in the substantive law was also passed.
Other bills passed by the parliament
Some other bills passed in the joint sitting included:
- The Islamabad Rent Restriction (Amendment) Bill, 2021
- The Islamabad Capital Territory Charities Registration, Regulation and Facilitation Bill, 2021
- The National College of Arts Institute Bill, 2021
- The SBP Banking Services Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2021
- The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2021
- The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2021
- The Corporate Restructuring Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2021
- The Loans for Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Purposes (Amendment) Bill, 2021
- The Financial Institutions (Secured Transactions) (Amendment) Bill, 2021
- The Muslim Family Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 (Amendment in Section 4)
- The Muslim Family Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 (Amendment in Section 7)
- The Hyderabad Institute for Technical and Management Sciences Bill, 2021
In addition, the Federal Public Service Commission (Validation of Rules) Bill, 2021, the University of Islamabad Bill, 2021, the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2021, the Pakistan Academy of Letters (Amendment) Bill, 2021, the Port Qasim Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2021, the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2021, the Gwadar Port Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2021, the Maritime Security Agency (Amendment) Bill, 2021, the Emigration (Amendment) Bill, 2021, the Privatisation Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2021, the Covid-19 (Prevention of Hoarding) Bill, 2021 were also passed in the joint sitting.