ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Barrister Ali Zafar opposed on Wednesday the proposed amendment in section 230 of the Election Act, 2017 that seeks to expand the caretaker government’s powers, saying it is illegal and unconstitutional.
“If the parliament doesn’t reject it today, the Supreme Court will strike it down in the next few days,” he said.
The PTI lawmaker reminded the house, especially, defence minister Khawaja Asif that he was the one who had taken matters regarding the caretaker government to the Supreme Court and that the apex court had agreed with him on the caretaker government having the power to only perform day-to-day affairs. “This is why it is called a caretaker setup,” the lawmaker stated.
Law minister Azam Nazir Tarar took the floor to announce that the bill was being presented with consensus, saying it was a sensitive bill and things would be explained about the proposed amendment in Section 230 when the provision comes up for approval.
The federal government has proposed 54 amendments to the Election Act, 2017, including amendments to its Section 230 that will enable a caretaker government to take major decisions with regard to the economy.
A copy of the Election Act (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which is available to Daily City News, shows that the government has proposed an amendment to subclause 2 of Section 230 of the Election Act, 2017.
The amendments, if approved, will empower the caretaker government to take important decisions to bolster the economy, including signing bilateral agreements as well as agreements with international financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Tensions are brewing in the parliament as lawmakers from the two largest parliamentary parties — the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) — have provided assurances that the polls would be held within the stipulated timeframe mentioned in the Constitution, as the government had made international commitments.
In a rare show of unity, the members of major parties in the ruling coalition addressed the crucial matter, which has been gripping the nation amid uncertainty, especially after the delay in the elections in two provinces — Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).
“Well we have made international commitments,” PPP Senator Saleem Mandviwalla told Daily City News. “Elections will be [held] on time.”
The fears about delaying polls or extending the caretaker set-up’s period also gained attention after the ruling PML-N started considering nominating incumbent Finance Minister Ishaq Dar as the caretaker premier.
The fears mounted manifolds when Dar himself confirmed that the government had decided to amend the Elections Act, 2017 in order to give more powers to the caretaker set-up so that it could go beyond performing just day-to-day affairs for three months.
To a question what were the chances that the general elections would be held within 60 or 90 days, and they wouldn’t go beyond that period just like it happened in Punjab and K-P, a senior PML-N member, requesting anonymity, said that the polls would be held on time because of the global commitments and the democratic process would not be derailed.
Amid growing concern and the lingering question mark on elections, the lawmakers from both parties were determined to reassure the public that the government would uphold its international obligations.
