Election Bill, NAB laws to be enforced next week

ISLAMABAD: The Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2022, and National Accountability (Amendment) Bill, 2022, will become part of the book and stand enforced next week.

Both will be enforced without endorsement of President Arif Alvi as for the second time he has not given his ascent to the both after ten days of their passage from the joint session of the Parliament.

Well-placed sources told The News here Friday that the President, who is bound to act on the advice of the prime minister, has disassociated with the government. No working relations between the President and the administration exist, the sources said.

President Alavi had refused to sign the Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2022, and the National Accountability (Amendment) Bill, 2022, even though both the Houses had approved them. Objecting to the Parliament’s earlier approval, the President sent back the documents to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, claiming that he “was not informed” about the “legislative proposal” under Article 46 before they were tabled in Parliament.

President Alvi returns Election, NAB bills to Prime Minister. The bills were returned by President Alvi on the pretext of Article 75-A of the Constitution. He claimed that both bills were approved by the National Assembly on May 26 in Senate on May 27 in a hasty manner. The bills had been forwarded to the President for approval on May 31.

He stated that the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan gave overseas Pakistanis a go-ahead to vote in the general elections in 2014 and in 2018. Moreover, Alvi pointed out that e-voting was also deemed safe and fair by the courts. His reservations were discussed and the objections were termed baseless in Parliament and accordingly rejected. The National Assembly approved the Elections Amendment Bill 2022, last month which sought to scrap electronic voting in elections and restrain overseas Pakistanis from participating in polls.

The PTI government had made several amendments to the Election Act, 2017, including those allowing the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and granted overseas Pakistanis the right to vote in general elections.

In November 2021, a joint session of the Parliament passed the Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2021, and the Elections (Second Amendment) Bill, 2021 regarding the use of EVMs. The then adviser to the prime minister on parliamentary affairs presented the bill to amend the elections act, 2017 [the elections (amendment) bill, 2021].

The motion to table the electoral reforms bill passed with 221 votes in favour while 203 lawmakers voted against it. The sources pointed out that ever-since the PTI government has been ousted through vote of no-trust and new government including Prime Minister and federal cabinet have been put in place, no agenda schedule meeting has taken place between the head of state and head of government.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited three countries in nine weeks but he couldn’t report of these to the President duet to his unbecoming of President conduct, the sources said. Incidentally no federal minister, Chief Minister, sitting Governor or provincial minister had meeting with the President these two months. The sources pointed out that government has complete record of President Alvi’s meetings. New Attorney General Aushtar Ausaf did have a formal meeting with President Alvi to remind his constitutional obligations, the sources said.

Now the President has gone to Gilgit for reported recreation trip by a special plan. The government is uncomfortable about the conduct of Alvi but it is attaching due esteem in dealing with the affairs related to the Presidency. The sources reminded that if the President is continuing to violate traditions and constitutional responsibilities, the government could be constrained to take some administrative actions in the matter.