Senate controversy over ‘rule through ordinances’ deepens – Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The controversy over the "government policy through ordinances" of the government deepened on Tuesday after the vague response of the government on its plan to establish presidential ordinances enacted before the Senate could not satisfy the opposition.

The house had to be closed without commercial transactions after the president refused to issue a ruling that forced the government to issue the ordinances during the current session.

The Senate witnessed a rare scene in which opposition members met in front of the president's podium to raise slogans of "No to ordinances", "No to civil dictatorship" and "Respect parliament" even after the President Sitara Ayaz will postpone the camera. to meet again on Wednesday (today) at 3pm.

At the beginning of the session, it was the PPP vocal representative, Mian Raza Rabbani, who set the ball in motion. "Although there is space [in the Constitution] for the promulgation of ordinances, it can only be done when parliament is not in session and there is a matter of life or death for the legislature, "said the former president of the Senate.

He said that Article 89 (1) of the Constitution said: "The President may, except when the Senate or the National Assembly is in session, if he is satisfied that there are circumstances that make it necessary to take immediate measures, issue and promulgate an Ordinance according to circumstances". It may require."

Shibli Faraz says the ordinances will be presented to the house at an "appropriate" time

Rabbani said the president did not do it mechanically upon receiving a summary, but he had to be satisfied. "Satisfaction means that you have to apply your mind if there are such circumstances that justify the enactment of an ordinance."

He also referred to a decision of the presidency under which an ordinance would be issued on the first day of the house session after the promulgation of said ordinance in which the official affairs of the government, and the government were to be processed. he must provide the reasons that forced the president to promulgate the ordinance. He said the Senate could approve the delay for a maximum of 10 days, but even in that case, the government must give a reason for the delay of each day.

The unconditional PPP said that Parliament had the right to disapprove an ordinance that it considered inappropriate.

In response to Mr. Rabbani's speech, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Azam Swati, said the ordinances would be issued, but noted that they were not on the agenda of the day, as it was a session requested by the opposition.

However, the PPP Senate parliamentary leader, Sherry Rehman, said there were decisions under which the government could present its agenda at a requested session. She said the President's House had been converted into an "ordinance factory" since the session was not convened for fear that these ordinances would be disapproved by the house.

The leader of the House of Representatives, Shibli Faraz, said that a discussion about curfew and closure in Srinagar was on the agenda, but the issue remained in the background due to the opposition's refusal to honor the decision made in the business advisory committee meeting.

When Vice President Saleem Mandviwalla asked about the government's plan to present the ordinances before the chamber, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs began providing details of the ordinances enacted during the effective periods of the PPP and PML-N governments.

The president insisted on a specific response, but Faraz said the ordinances would be presented to the house at an "appropriate" and "convenient" time. On this, the opposition insisted that the ordinances be established during the current session.

Mandviwalla postponed the house for 15 minutes.

Ms. Ayaz presided over the session for a brief period of time when she met again, and the opposition insisted that she should issue a ruling ordering the government to issue ordinances during the current session. She replied that she could not do it since the resolutions on this matter were already there and postponed the process.

Later, speaking at a press conference, the PPP parliamentary leader in the Senate alleged that the government wanted to paralyze Parliament. He warned that the opposition would organize a sit on the floor of the house if the government continued with this policy.

Posted in Dawn, November 6, 2019