ISLAMABAD: Treasury and opposition members in the National Assembly on Friday silenced their guns and extended goodwill and camaraderie towards each other by backing out of their previous hostile positions.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) opposition member in the National Assembly Khwaja Mohammad Asif while addressing the house announced to withdraw no-confidence motion against Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri against whom he had earlier delivered a fiery speech for ‘bulldozing’ 11 presidential ordinances in a single day (November 7, 2019).

In response to the opposition’s goodwill gesture, the treasury benches also announced to reconsider their earlier move. Members of the two sides said all the 11 ordinances/bills will be tabled in the House again and a proper debate held as per the parliamentary norms. According to Pakistan’s constitution, under Article 89(1), a presidential ordinance needs parliament’s approval within 120 days of its promulgation or it will cease to exist.

Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri was presiding over the session of the House when all these bills were tabled and passed by the NA.

While opposing passage of these ordinances in a hasty manner, PML-N had submitted a no-confidence motion against Suri under Rule 12 (removal of the speaker or the deputy speaker) of the Rules and Procedure and Conduct of Business, 2007 and Article 53(7)(c) of the Constitution for “violating” the constitution to facilitate the passage of government bills without any debate.

A writ petition was also filed by the PML-N lawmaker Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha in the Islamabad High Court seeking the court’s order to declare them null and void.

Members of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had earlier termed moving of the no-confidence against NA Deputy Speaker unfortunate and detrimental for unity in the country.

Until Thursday, the opposition benches had refused to roll back their plan to move the motion “until the government withdrew the ordinances it passed”.

However, on Friday the government relented on its previous stance and announced to withdraw those bills and introduce them later in the Assembly following the parliamentary norms.

Welcoming the government’s move to withdraw all 11 bills and hold debate on them, Khwaja Asif said reciprocating the goodwill gesture of the government benches, the opposition parties have now agreed to withdraw the no-confidence motion against the Deputy Speaker Suri.

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Azam Khan Swati said the bills that were passed and ordinances tabled in the assembly on November 7 would be presented in the parliament again for debate and a consensus will be developed.

He added that a debate will be held on the controversial ordinance, which dissolved the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PM & DC) and paved the way for the establishment of Pakistan Medial Commission.

Now those bills would be first presented in the standing committees of the National Assembly and after their approval they will be put before the House for final approval.