ISLAMABAD: The Pakis­tan Peoples Party (PPP) has expressed grave concern over inordinate delay in laying ordinances pertaining to the Higher Education Commission (HEC) before either house of parliament and demanded that they be tabled before the legislature immediately.

PPP secretary general Farhatullah Babar in a statement said that issuing an ordinance when either house was in session in itself is unconstitutional, “but not laying it before the parliament even after its promulgation makes it a criminal assault on the independence of the regulatory body for higher education”.

He said that ordinances were not laid even when sessions of the National Assembly and the Senate were called after its promulgation as this act exposed the grossly mala fide intent behind it.

PPP’s parliamentary leader in the Senate Sherry Rehman also criticised the government for bypassing parliament through promulgation of ordinances.

She said the National Assembly had been in session and till date the HEC ordinances had not been laid in parliament.

According to the Consti­tution, she said, the presidential ordinance should be laid in the house during the parliamentary session. “It is clear that all constitutional obligations are being flou­ted in ‘Naya Pakistan’ being created by the PTI government,” Ms Rehman said.

Under the Second HEC Amendment Ordinance 2021, the term of the HEC chairman had been changed to two years from the existing four years.

“This is an attack on the HEC’s autonomy,” the PPP leader said.

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2021