National Assembly passed on Monday the Elections Bill 2017, paving way for former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to regain chairmanship of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. Opposition members protested the passing of the bill, which was presented by Law Minister Zahid Hamid, and even tore copies of the bill.
Opposition members also chanted slogans against Nawaz Sharif. Moreover, the amendment to the Elections Bill 2017 presented by the Jamaat-e-Islami was rejected by the assembly.
While addressing the National Assembly, Awami Muslim League Head Sheikh Rasheed had spoken against the bill. “You are risking the country's democracy over one person," he said, adding “You have attacked the Supreme Court with a rocket launcher.”
Nawaz Sharif doesn’t even want to see his brother (Shehbaz Sharif) as a party leader, he remarked. “You can start digging the grave of democracy with your majority,” he said while referring to the PML-N parliamentarians.
On the other hand, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Shah Mehmood Qureshi remarked that the clause 203 of the bill is against the spirit of the country's Constitution.
The clause seeks to help an unqualified man to become the head of a party, he said, adding that Supreme Court had also disqualified the person. "You [PMLN] have the majority and we are a minority. But, if you pass the bill then we will challenge it in the court. We want the clause 203 to be removed and Political Parties' Order must be restored," said Qureshi.
Responding to Qureshi, NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq asked him "Why didn't you speak when you had the chance?"
PTI leader Shafqat Mahmood remarked that the party was deceived due to the way the bill was presented. He remarked: "Nawaz Sharif was bound to be disqualified because of his corrupt practices."
He further said that the bill should be deferred as opposition won't accept it.
In August, following Nawaz Sharif's disqualification by the Supreme Court, the ECP had informed the PML-N that according to the Political Parties Order 2002, a disqualified MNA cannot hold any position in the party.
Last week, the PML-N managed to amend the Elections Bill 2017 in the opposition-controlled Senate in favour of Nawaz's bid to become the party president. The bill will now be tabled in the Lower House of Parliament, where the PML-N holds a majority, on Monday.
According to the bill, every citizen will have the right to be a part of a political party, except those in government service, and will also have the right to form a party. It enables the ECP to scrutinise election expenses within 90 days, failing which election expenses submitted by a political party would be deemed to be correct.
The bill states that any parliamentarian could only be disqualified for a period of five years and that ECP will be an independent and autonomous body, which will formulate its own law, and party funding details will be available online.
It also restricts the caretaker government from making any policy decisions.
During a meeting of Central Working Committee at the Punjab House, the party members endorsed a resolution forwarded by Climate Change Minister Senator Mushahidullah Khan.
The party leaders expressed confidence and reaffirmed their trust on the party leader. They also paid tribute to the former prime minister for his services during his tenure.
Meanwhile, the PML-N has also summoned a meeting of its general council Tuesday to appoint Nawaz as the party's president after his removal from office.
Former senator and the party's chief election commissioner, Chaudhry Jafar Iqbal, will apprise the members of schedule for the election of party president.
It is quite unlikely for any other PML-N member to file his nomination for post.
