NA to vote on amended bill tomorrow

ISLAMABAD – Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has informed that now the amendment to the Constitution and Army Act to pave the way for extension of military courts in the country for another stint of two years would be put to vote tomorrow instead of today.

The Lower House of the Parliament would discuss the sunset clause to be introduced in the constitution today while the matter of forming an oversight committee of the parliamentarians from both the houses would also be constituted tomorrow. It was further decided by the Speaker National Assembly in consultation with the MPs.

Ishaq Dar informed that the huddle of parliamentary party of the ruling PML-N, scheduled for today, was also deferred for tomorrow.

The party sources said the deferment of parliamentary party meeting was due to some pressing engagements of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and non-availability of a good number of party MPs today.

The decision of delaying voting on the constitutional amendment was also due to the non-availability of parliamentarians of other parties as well and as the amendment to the constitution could only be made with a two-thirds majority so the matter was deferred for a day to ensure the availability of requisite number.

The government had already tabled the draft amendment bills in the lower house of the Parliament to amend the Constitution as well as the Army Act to facilitate the military courts extension but now the government would be introducing further amendments to it in the light of the agreement reached with PPP on March 16.

As agreed with the PPP the oversight committee, comprising parliamentarians from both the houses of the Parliament, would be constituted in consultation with all the parliamentary parties’ heads tomorrow.

The prime minister would also be meet with the parliamentary parties’ heads on the occasion and discuss with them the matters relating to the implementation on National Action Plan.

Dar has stated that amendments to the already tabled constitutional amendment bill and Army Act amendment bill have been lodged in the National Assembly in the light of the consensus arrived in the parliamentary leaders meeting March 16.

The House will discuss the consensus bills today and the same will be put to vote tomorrow, as discussed by Speaker National Assembly with the parliamentary leaders, he informed.

The finance minister further said that in the said meeting of parliamentary leaders it was also agreed to set up a Parliamentary Committee on National Security with parliamentary leaders of National Assembly and Senate as its members.

Accordingly, a resolution in this regard will also be moved in the National Assembly today, he said.

In this backdrop, the parliamentary party meeting of PML(N) members of National Assembly and Senate, which was earlier scheduled for today, would now be held tomorrow, under the chairmanship of prime minister, the minister added.

Source: The Nation