The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has successfully convinced its allies in the Centre to approve a bill that grants more powers to the caretaker government.
This decision was made during a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms, which was chaired by PML-N’s Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. The main point of discussion during the meeting was Article 230, which pertains to the functions of a caretaker government.
However, the proposed bill initially faced opposition from allied parties who believed that the caretaker government was being given too much power. As a result, the matter was deferred for further consideration.
After today’s discussion, the PML-N agreed to make some changes to the bill to address the concerns of the allied parties. The revised bill will now only grant the interim government the authority to engage with bilateral donors and multilateral institutions.
The new changes specify that the caretaker regime will be given powers under clause 2A of Section 230, but it will not have the authority to enter into new agreements. Instead, it can only exercise its powers in ongoing programs.
With these adjustments, the bill has been presented for approval in the joint session of parliament.
Prior to the presentation of the electoral reforms bill in the house, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Ali Zafar reiterated his demand for the rejection of the specific clause. He argued that the clause was unsustainable and warned that the Supreme Court might also reject it if it’s not addressed.
According to PTI’s Zafar, the changes made to the bill were not sufficient, as he considered them to be “unconstitutional and illegal.”
The decision to grant more powers to the caretaker government is a significant step in the country’s electoral reform process. It remains to be seen how the bill will be received in the joint session of parliament and whether any further amendments will be made before its final approval.
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As the situation develops, it will be important to closely monitor how these changes might impact the caretaker government’s role in future elections and whether any further debates or disagreements arise during the approval process.
