The Senate on Friday approved a bill abolishing lifetime disqualification of a parliamentarian under Article 62 (1) (f) of the Constitution.
The bill states that the disqualification shall not exceed five years if the punishment is not specified in the constitution. It states the convict would be eligible to become a member of parliament after the competition of the punishment.
Another bill proposing amendment to Section 232 of the Election Act, which is related to disqualification of lawmakers, was also tabled in the upper house of parliament. It states the eligibility criteria, disqualification process and punishment should be in line with the Article 62 and 63 of the Constitution.
The bill further proposes that a person convicted by the Supreme Court and high court would be disqualified for five years from the date of verdict.
The Senate also passed an amendment to the Election Act’s section 57 and 58 to withdraw power from the president to announce election date.
Speaking about the bill, Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarar said that under this bill, the Election Commission of Pakistan would now be able to announce the date for the general elections.
Former prime minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, while supporting the bill, said it was tantamount to protecting the future generations of Pakistan.
