Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Differences have surfaced between Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani and National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq due to which several bills could not be passed.

Sources told Daily Times that the Senate and National Assembly secretariats are not ready to accept each other’s powers. Due to this a parliamentary committee on national security could not be formed as both secretariats wanted control. Similarly senators could not be included in the Public Accounts Committee even the NA passed a motion and amended rules, but the Senate chairman has not yet sent the names.

On Sunday, the NA spokesman said the bills originating in the Senate and transmitted to the NA were processed in the NA Secretariat in accordance with the provisions of Article 70 of the constitution read with rules 144, 145 and 146 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007.

He referred to Article 70 of the constitution which provides that a bill with respect to any matter in the federal legislative list may originate in either House and shall, if it is passed by the House in which it originated, be transmitted to the other House and if it is rejected or is not passed within ninety days of its laying (and not within 90-days of transmission) in the House, at the request of the House in which it originated, it shall be considered in the joint sitting.

In pursuance of rule 144, the NA secretary has circulated every bill among the lawmakers transmitted by the Senate. He highlighted that under rule 145, at any time after the bill has been so circulated, any minister in the case of a government bill or, in any other case, any member may give notice of his intention to move that the bill be taken into consideration.

He added that under rule 146, on the day on which the motion for consideration is put down in the orders of the day, the minister or, as the case may be, the member giving notice may move that the bill be taken into consideration. He reiterated that unless any member or a minister gives notice of his intention to move such motion, no further proceedings can be conducted in this regard.

He also said that until date 17 government bills, transmitted by the Senate to the NA were duly processed by the Secretariat, considered/passed by the NA and enacted. He said that five private member bills referred to the joint sitting were passed as well. However, 19 private member bills transmitted by the Senate were circulated among the members and are still awaiting notices for consideration to be given by a lawmaker under rule 145 of the rules of procedure. Unless any member gives notice of the same it cannot be processed/considered by the NA.

He emphasised that the Unattended Orphans (Rehabilitation and Welfare) Bill, 2016 on its receipt from the Senate was promptly processed in the NA as it was duly circulated among the members, laid before the assembly, referred to the Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat for its consideration and report to the assembly was done accordingly and was also placed on the orders of the day. Therefore the bill was duly and effectively processed as per rules.