ISLAMABAD: The controversial bill apparently meant to put off the already delayed local government elections in the federal capital was passed by the Senate on Tuesday.

The Islamabad Capital Territory Local Govern­ment (Amend­ment) Bill, 2024 was passed a day after being bulldozed in the National Assembly, amidst a strong protest by the opposition.

Leader of Opposition Shibli Faraz slammed the government for bringing the piece of legislation in haste and with the LG polls around the corner and insisted on referring the bill to the standing committee first. “Don’t say that since the bill has been passed by the other House, it may be taken up at once for passage.

“Are we, the members, a rubber stamp? Don’t consider these members goats and sheep. And don’t make fun of this House. Shut down this house, if you just have to say that let the bill be passed without going through the laid down procedure, since the other house already adopted it,” the opposition leader said.

Elections Act (Amendment) Bill also gets nod of upper house of parliament

While emphasising that he is the custodian of the House and not the custodian of the government, Senate chairman Syed Yusaf Raza Gilani advised the government to try to “timely bring legislation in future” so that it could be referred to the relevant standing committees before deliberations in the House.

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, who is also Minister for Parliamen­tary Affairs, later moved the bill for consideration and adoption. The House passed it after clause by clause reading of the bill by the chair.

Elections Act

The Senate also passed the Elections Act (Amendment) Bill, 2024, according to which in section 232, for the marginal heading ‘Qualifications and disqualifications,’ the marginal heading ’Dis­qualification on account of declaration by court ‘shall be substituted’.

‘The Banking Com­panies (Amend­ment) Bill, 2024’ and ’The Deposit Protection Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2024 were introduced in the House and referred to the standing committee concerned.

In view of the demand mainly by the opposition benches, the qu­­e­­stion hour was suspended to al­­low legislators to express their views on the recent acts of terrorism in different parts of the country.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2024