Following strong opposition from the opposition, the government successfully passed an amendment to the 2017 Election Law at a joint meeting of parliament on Wednesday, allowing the use of electronic voting machines and granting overseas Pakistanis the right to vote.

This prompted the opposition to tear up copies of the agenda and withdraw from the meeting in protest. Parliamentarians also gathered around the treasury bench, chanting slogans against Prime Minister Imran Khan and his government.

In order to avoid physical clashes between the opposition and government legislators, people saw armed sergeants standing side by side, setting up barriers between the two sides.

The opposition argued that in accordance with the rules of procedure and business conduct of the National Assembly in 2007, the government required the majority of all members of the Congress and the Senate to pass a bill at a joint meeting of 222 members. However, the government argued According to Article 72 of the Constitution, a simple majority of the members present at the joint meeting is required to pass the bill. NA Speaker Asad Qaiser ruled that the constitution takes precedence over the rules.

Earlier, at the request of Babar Awan, the Prime Minister’s Parliamentary Affairs Advisor, the bill on the use of electric vehicles was postponed, but it was later adopted and put to a vote.

The government then continued to advance many other important bills, including:

The following bill submitted through the supplementary agenda was also passed:

A total of 33 bills were approved, including two opposition bills-the Al-Karam International College Act of 2021, proposed by Syed Javed Hasnain of PML-N, and the 2021 Ban on Corporal Punishment in the Capital Territory of Islamabad, proposed by PML-N-N MNA Mehnaz Akber Aziz.

A bill-the 2021 Election (Amendment) Bill-was postponed, and an amendment proposed by the Islamic State Front seeking to publicly execute rapists was rejected.

The speaker then adjourned indefinitely.

The parliament also passed a bill at today's joint meeting to provide for the right of reconsideration and reconsideration in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case, so that the judgment of the International Court of Justice can take effect.

The 2020 International Court of Justice (Review and Reconsideration) Bill was moved by the Minister of Law, Farogh Nasim. It passed by a majority vote.

The purpose and rationale of the bill stated that the Indian government filed a lawsuit against Pakistan in the International Court of Justice, accusing it of violating the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations with regard to the detention and trial of an Indian national. The Indian spy agency RAW was sentenced to death by a military court in Pakistan in April 2017.

The International Court of Justice issued its judgment on July 17, 2019, deeming that Pakistan is obliged to conduct effective review and review of Jadhav’s conviction and sentencing through a method of its own choice to ensure that full attention is given to paragraphs 139, 145 and 146 of the judgment, which violates the “Vienna The impact of the rights under Article 36 of the Convention.

In order for the aforementioned judgment to be fully effective, it is necessary to provide a mechanism for reviewing and reconsidering Pakistan’s own choice.

When the meeting started around noon, PML-N President Sheikhbaz Sharif referred to the electronic voting machine (EVM) as an "evil and vicious machine" and accused the government of lacking sincerity in reaching a consensus on electoral reform.

In a speech at a joint meeting of parliament, Shehbaz said that the government and its allies want to flatten important bills. He called it "illegal" and said it was tantamount to breaking the tradition of parliament.

Shehbaz wrote to the Speaker of the National Assembly Asad Qaiser earlier today expressing his dissatisfaction with the hastily passed the bill without a consensus. He said that the initial joint meeting was postponed after the government stated that it would negotiate with the opposition on this issue. .

"You sent a letter to me and the entire United Opposition," he said, adding that in response, he submitted a comprehensive response that included "very good suggestions." "But Speaker, you cancelled the contact, and we did not receive your reply."

When commenting on the negotiation proposal, he called it a "time-buying strategy" so that the government can get the votes it needs. "You have no intention of negotiating on this issue."

He said there are always accusations of manipulation during elections. "This is the first time in history that anyone has accused of pre-election manipulation."

He claimed that the "selected government" wanted to introduce the EVM because it could no longer require the people to vote.

When talking about the Results Transmission System (RTS), opposition leaders stated that the government used a “road transportation system” when it came to power in 2018. "Now the road traffic system is abandoned by evil [and] vicious machines."

Shebaz asked the Speaker to postpone the joint meeting in order to conduct "full consultation" on electoral reform.

Shehbaz said to Qaiser that the people would not forgive him if he allowed the flat bill at today's meeting and urged him to admit his responsibility as the Speaker of the House of Representatives. He also condemned the submission of these bills as "illegal and unconstitutional."

He said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which is responsible for conducting fair and transparent elections, also expressed reservations about EVM. "Despite their reservations, they still hope to pass these laws."

He said that political parties that once talked about democracy, transparency and change now want to pass "black laws."

"If you allow this black law to be passed, Pakistan will suffer serious damage and both you and them will be held responsible for it," he said in a speech to Qaiser.

Shebaz also stated that several countries have rejected "evil and evil machines."

"If the government uses the energy it spends on this issue to tackle inflation, then we might see a difference. But they are not worried. They only care about continuing to hold power without ensuring that the people vote."

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi called this a "historic day" at the beginning of his speech and said that the parliament will pass laws to make the election process "clean and transparent."

"Shehbaz said that the government wants to introduce a black law. Absolutely not. The government wants to wash away the darkness of the past."

The minister added that the government did not want to overturn the legislation and stated that they had consulted members of the opposition in order to incorporate their reservations into the bill. "You didn't pay attention."

Qureshi also denied the impression that the government had cancelled the meeting because of the lack of figures. "If we don't have these numbers, how do we submit these bills today? Government personnel are united, and our allies stand with us."

He said that the government followed the legislative process and added that the meeting was adjourned to eliminate the problems of some allies.

"You call EVM an'evil and evil machine'. This is your right. But EVM is not an evil and evil machine. They are introduced to bury evil and evil designs." He said that the government wants to prioritize credibility and Transparent election process.

The minister said that overseas Pakistanis are national assets, and the government wants them to participate in policy and decision-making.

After Qureshi's speech, NA Speaker Qaiser had a heated exchange with a member of Parliament. Qaiser warned that the member was suspended and told him to "keep within your range."

"Is this the [correct] way of talking?" The NA Speaker made a speech before inviting PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (Bilawal Bhutto Zardari) to give a speech.

In his speech at the meeting, Bilaval criticized the government's "one-sided" electoral reform, which is unprecedented in the country's history.

He said that during the administration of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, PML-N had a two-thirds majority. "If that government unilaterally decides and uses a majority to force reforms, then PTI and PPP will be powerless.

"If they decide to introduce a constitutional amendment, then we will have to accept their decision. But they reached a consensus," he said.

He said that if the government follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, the opposition will participate in the legislative process. "If we carry out reforms together, then the next election will not cause controversy, and this will be Khan Sahab's success."

However, he said that if the government continues to proceed in the current way, the opposition will not accept the results of the next election.

He said that PML-N and PPP support giving overseas Pakistanis the right to vote. "Nevertheless, the government still wants to implement one-sided legislation."

Bilawal pointed out that overseas Pakistanis are represented in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and called for the introduction of a similar system.

"How can we accept your suggestion to let Pakistanis living in Paris, California and the UK make decisions for the people in Karachi and tribal areas? They should have their own electoral college."

He said that the government's malicious efforts have been going on for some time, and he said that it has provided NRO to the Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav (Kulbhushan Jadhav).

"If you have to provide relief to anyone, then the poor in Pakistan should face many problems [...] how can you expect us to allow you to use this house to give that Indian an NRO spy?"

Next, Maulana Asad Mahmood of JUI-F accused the government of introducing such laws to lay a foundation for disharmony and chaos, adding that if the government overturns the legislation, the country will not accept it.

The JUI-F congressman warned that a law that was controversial even before it was passed would lead to protests in the country, and the government and its supporters would be held accountable. He advised the government not to pass the law hastily.

When it was his turn to speak, MNA Mohsin Dawar, an activist of the Pashtunta Hafz movement, reminded legislators that one of their colleagues, Ali Wazir, was not present at the meeting.

“It’s sad and shameful that Ali Wazir didn’t show up in this house,” he lamented, adding that although he was working with Tehreek-i-Labbaik in Pakistan or even Tehreek-i-Taliban in Pakistan, Organizations such as MNA Ali negotiated. Wazir was struggling in prison because of a speech.

"It is regrettable that Waziristan is not represented here," he said, adding that any legislation on elections must be completed with the consensus of all legislators as in the past.

After the speech, Awan proposed a bill to amend the 2017 Election Law [Election (Revision) Bill 2021]. Legislators present at the meeting voted on whether the bill should be submitted to Parliament.

Members who agreed stood up and took their seats, while those who opposed the motion stayed in their seats.

After a while, the Speaker announced that the motion to introduce the bill had been passed, and 221 members voted for it and 203 members opposed it.

However, the opposition claimed that there was a discrepancy in the counting of votes, and that the advisers to the prime minister who were not actually elected officials were also counted. At this time, the Speaker ordered a recount of votes.

Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived at the parliament building shortly before the expected meeting. He was sought after by the media when he went to preside over the meeting of the PTI parliamentary team, but he remained tight-lipped. The government's coalition partners also participated in the meeting.

"You have hosted so many meetings. Despite being in the majority, are you worried about anything?" a reporter asked.

"Who is seeing people?" Prime Minister Imran shot back because he seemed to dispel the impression that he had to persuade his allies to support him at today's meeting.

"When an athlete steps onto the playing field, he is prepared for every possible outcome and vowed to perform better than his opponent," he added.

After the parliamentary caucus meeting, the Minister of Information Favad Chowdhury said in an interview with the media that the prime minister thanked the government's allies for their support and the legislators who managed to arrive regardless of their personal circumstances.

Chowdhury said that legislators have expressed confidence in the leadership of the prime minister, which will be reflected in the joint meeting. He said that the bill that the government will introduce is "easy to pass."

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmoud Qureshi also said in an interview with the media at the Parliament Building that the government fully trusts its allies. "We trust them because the people in their electoral districts have given them tasks," he said.

He said the government wants fair and transparent polls, which will strengthen the country's democracy. The Minister said that the government must protect the rights of the people, which is the basic responsibility of legislators.

PPP Chairman Birawar Bhutto-Zardari, who arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday night, met with Sheikhbaz Sharif, the opposition leader of the National Assembly, in the latter's chamber. The two also attended the parliamentary meeting of the United Opposition.

Later, a delegation of opposition leaders visited the President of the National Assembly Asad Qaiser and delivered a letter written by Shehbaz,

In the letter, President PML-N stated that he has provided a comprehensive proposal to reach a consensus on these bills. "Unfortunately, no response from you has been received, which makes people doubt your intentions," he said.

"Last night we did not consider the proposal to reach a consensus on the bill. Instead, we received a notice from your office in less than 16 hours, stating that the joint parliamentary meeting had been held at 12 noon today. This is on important national issues. Is there a way to reach consensus? Is it done?" he asked.

He said that the bill under consideration today includes amendments to the election law. "We want to remind you that in Pakistan's history, legislation on elections has never been carried out in such a unilateral way; election laws are always enacted in the context of extensive consultation and consensus with all parties in the parliament," Sheba I said.

"Your partisan actions in handling these nationally important bills and joint meetings have made us lose confidence in you as the guardian of the House of Representatives. Therefore, we ask you to take immediate action to correct this serious mistake before today's joint meeting. ," he wrote.

Compunode.com Pvt. Ltd. (www.compunode.com). Designed for Dawn.