Bills to increase minority seats tabled

Published January 29, 2014
Through the bills, the members have suggested amendments to Articles 51 and 106 of the Constitution regarding allocation of seats in the country’s legislatures.  — File Photo
Through the bills, the members have suggested amendments to Articles 51 and 106 of the Constitution regarding allocation of seats in the country’s legislatures. — File Photo

ISLAMABAD: Two similar constitution amendment bills seeking increase in minorities’ representation in the national and provincial legislatures and a bill suggesting severe punishment to the police officers for registering a false case were tabled in the National Assembly on Tuesday.

Another bill making it binding upon the federal government to include translation of holy Quran, Hifz and Tajweed-ul-Quran as compulsory subjects in universities, schools and colleges was moved by members of the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI).

All the bills were referred by the speaker to the concerned standing committee when the government did not oppose them on the private member’s day.

The first constitution amendment bill seeking increase in the reserved seats for non-Muslims in the National Assembly and four provincial assemblies was moved by the minority members belonging to four main political parties — the PPP, PML-N, Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).

The MQM members later tabled another similar bill, with no change in the wordings. Minority MQM member Sanjay Parwani has signatures on both the bills.

Through the bills, the members have suggested amendments to Articles 51 and 106 of the Constitution regarding allocation of seats in the country’s legislatures. If the bills are approved for which a two-thirds majority is needed, the reserved seats for the non-Muslims in the National Assembly would increase from 10 to 15 and the total number of the National Assembly members would increase from 342 to 347.

Opinion

Editorial

Anti-smuggling drive
Updated 04 Oct, 2023

Anti-smuggling drive

Smuggling is eating into the economy, weakening it and imposing enormous costs on the manufacturing industry, jobs and public well-being.
Deadly trade
04 Oct, 2023

Deadly trade

PAKISTAN may never have witnessed a character as notorious and slippery in the illegal organ trade as Fawad Mumtaz. ...
Caucasus conflict
04 Oct, 2023

Caucasus conflict

AFTER more than three decades of stalemate, the bloody conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh may be headed for a conclusion....
Relying on debt
Updated 03 Oct, 2023

Relying on debt

Sadly, the ruling military and civil elite haven’t grasped the seriousness of the economic crises.
Palestine abandoned
03 Oct, 2023

Palestine abandoned

IT appears to be only a matter of time before a normalisation deal is announced between Saudi Arabia and Israel....
Killjoys in Swat
03 Oct, 2023

Killjoys in Swat

IN yet another blow to women’s rights in Pakistan, a group of young, spirited girls seeking to participate in a...