Daily Times

Interim President Sadiq Sanjarani on Monday signed into law a bill seeking amendments to Section 232 (Qualifications and Disqualifications) of the Election Act, 2017, a private TV channel reported.

Senate Chairman Sanjrani, who assumed the role of acting president a day earlier as President Arif Alvi left for Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj, signed the summary forwarded by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

A day earlier, the National Assembly passed the Election Act Law limiting the disqualification of a parliamentarian to a maximum of five years, paving the way for those barred for life from running for a public office. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif and Istihkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) chief Jahangir Khan Tareen will be among those who benefit from the move.

The Supreme Court disqualified both senior politicians for life in June and December 2017, respectively, after they were found to be “dishonest” under Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution.

Senate – the upper house of parliament – had earlier this month approved the bill seeking amendments to Section 232 (Qualifications and Disqualifications) of the Election Act, 2017. “Notwithstanding anything contained in any other provisions of this Act, any other law for the time being in force and Judgment, orders or decree of any court, including the Supreme Court and a High Court, the disqualification of a person to be elected, chosen, or to remain as a member of the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) of 9 Provincial Assembly under Paragraph (1) of clause (1) of Article 62 of the Constitution shall be for a period not exceeding five years from the declaration by the court of law in that regard and such declaration shall be subject to the due process of law,” the bill reads.

The house also approved another amendment to the law, allowing the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to announce the date for polls unilaterally, without the president’s approval. “…the Commission shall by notification in the official gazette announce the date or dates, as the case may be, of the general elections,” the bill reads, amending Section 58 of the Election Act. The bill also allows the election commission to make changes to the election programme after announcing the date, but it would have to do it “in writing”.

Meanwhile, Acting President Sadiq Sanjrani approved the amended Finance Bill 2023-24 on Monday. A day ago, the said bill for the new fiscal year sailed through the National Assembly after the government had made several changes, including fiscal tightening measures, dictated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a last-ditch effort to secure critical funding.The revised budget – now amounting to Rs14.4b trillion – aims for an additional Rs215 billion in tax revenue alongside a cutback of Rs85bn in public spending for the upcoming fiscal year. However, this does not affect the federal development budget or the salaries and pensions of government personnel.