ISLAMABAD: Lack of quorum hits the National Assembly proceedings on Tuesday as it failed to take up any of the 27-point agenda that included introduction of at least five bills related to the judiciary.

PTI-backed independent MNA from Vehari Aurangzeb Khichi pointed out lack of quorum within minutes of the start of the sitting on the private member’s day in protest over the absence of the ministers, forcing Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah to suspend the proceedings and order a headcount.

Declaring that the house lacked quorum (for which the presence of at least 84 members in the 336-house is required), the deputy speaker later adjourned the sitting till Friday morning without taking up any agenda item.

The issue of the ministers’ absence was initially raised by PPP lawmaker Naveed Qamar when he was given the floor by the chair to raise a calling attention notice “regarding news in the media of 4.8 million acres of land being given for corporate farming resulting in diversion of water.”

Sitting adjourned within minutes; five private bills related to judiciary were on agenda

Mr Qamar protested over the absence of Federal Minister for Water Resources Musadik Malik who was required to respond to the notice, stating that “such a casual attitude” of the ministers lowered the prestige of the house. “If the members can reach the house in time to ask questions, then it is ministers’ duty to make it to the house. If the government doesn’t take us seriously, how would the world take us seriously?”

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar endorsed Mr Qamar’s viewpoint, stating that he had no excuse to present, adding that PM Shehbaz had rescheduled the cabinet meeting due to the NA sitting and finished it 20 minutes before the start of the NA proceedings. He said the PM directed the ministers, particularly those who were required to respond to the agenda items, to ensure their presence in the house.

At this point, PTI lawmakers lodged a protest and walked out of the hall leaving behind Mr Khichi to point out the quorum.

There were 27 items on the agenda which included introduction of eight bills, five of them were directly related to the judiciary.

There were five bills in the name of Noor Alam Khan of JUI-F on the agenda, whereas Sohail Sultan and Changaze Ahmed Khan of the PTI and Danyal Chaudhry of the ruling PML-N were to present three other bills.

Judiciary-related bills

Through a constitutional amendment bill, Mr Khan is seeking an amendment to Article 184 which deals with the Supreme Court’s suo motu powers. Through the bill, he has suggested that the suo motu cases should be heard by an SC bench comprising no less than nine judges. In the same bill, he has sought a right to appeal for the aggrieved person within 30 days of the passing of the court’s order.

Through another constitution amendment bill, Mr Khan sought amendments to Articles 177, 193 and 208 of the Constitution, seeking a bar on the SC judges from holding a dual nationality. He also sought a ban on the appointment of dual nationals as “an officer or servant of any court.”

Through another bill, the JUI-F leader sought to repeal the Contempt of Court Ordinance 2003 until the substitute legislation. In his opinion, the ordinance was not in line with Article 204(2).

Another bill on the agenda in the name of PML-N’s Danyal Chaudhry was about seeking an amendment to the SC Number of Judges Act 1997, suggesting increase in the number of SC judges from existing 17 to 23, including the chief justice of Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2024