ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Assembly has passed a bill that empowers the lawmakers to penalise those who commit contempt of the Parliament or its committees or are found to have breached the privilege of any member of any house of the Parliament i.e. the National Assembly or the Parliament.
The bill was tabled last week by the dissident member of the former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Rana Qasim Noon and Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf had referred it to the house committee on rules and procedure with a directive to present its report within seven days after it was supported one by one by the members belonging to almost all the parties.
The bill is now with the Senate (the Upper House of the Parliament) and then a ceremonial presidential assent is required for its formal passage into an act of parliament.
Judiciary-executive tussle
In the backdrop of the current judiciary-Parliament (executive) tussle for power, the bill is being seen as a move by the Parliament to assert itself.
According to the bill, those found guilty of the contempt of the Parliament, would have to face six-month jail term or a fine of Rs1 million (Dh12,878) or both depending on the nature of the contempt.
The Members of the Parliament (MPs) during a session passed the private member’s bill titled “Contempt of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) Bill 2023.”
Fine amount reduced from Rs10 million to Rs1 million
The National Assembly’s members, however, passed the bill with some amendments to the original draft as suggested by the committee. In the amended law, the composition of the contempt committee to be formed by the NA Speaker has been changed and the fine amount reduced from Rs10 million (Dh128,786) to Rs1 million (Dh12,878).
During the assembly’s session which was chaired by Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, the dissident Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) member who is also chairman of the house privileges committee Rana Qasim Noon presented the bill, which was unanimously passed by the house.
Move to ensure writ of Parliament
Noon told the House that the bill would ensure the writ of parliament. “Parliament has to be respected. The members were insulted inside and outside the house but now we will not accept insults from anyone,” he said.
“This bill will ensure the supremacy of the Parliament which is the mother of all institutions,” he said. “It will also ensure proper functioning of the standing committees and parliamentary oversight role would become more effective,” he added.
Earlier, while supporting the passage of the bill, Education Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain said the Contempt of Parliament (Senate and National Assembly) Bill was a “very important piece of legislation”, adding that it would help improve the oversight role of parliament.
Under the bill, the matter of insult by any institution or person will be placed before the privileges committee. Then the committee will submit its recommendations to the National Assembly and the Senate within 60 days.
On the recommendations of the committee, the matter will be referred to the anti-contempt committee, which will comprise five members – three from the National Assembly and two from the Senate.
