President Asif Ali Zardari has approved the Election Act Amendment Bill 2024, which aims to restrict independent lawmakers from changing parties.
According to Geo News, the bill has been sent to the Senate Secretariat for official notification today. The approval comes when the Election Commission Pakistan (ECP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have approached the Apex Court regarding the decision on reserved seats. The bill proposes that if a candidate does not submit a declaration of his affiliation with a political party to the returning officer (RO) before seeking allotment of the election symbol, they shall be “considered as an independent candidate and not a candidate of any political party.’’
It further states that if a political party fails to submit its list for reserved seats within a prescribed time, it will not be eligible for reserved seats. Lawmakers also cannot change to another party after joining one within three days of winning the election.
The Ministry of Law and Justice has reportedly been preparing a summary to send to the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan regarding the extension of sitting Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Justice (redtd) Javed Iqbal, reported Malik Asad for Dawn.
The four-year term of Justice Iqbal as NAB chairman will expire this month. A senior official of the ministry has confirmed that they will send the proposal to the PM soon.
However, the government hasn’t taken a final decision yet. According to an official, in the proposal, the declaration of an ordinance for giving extension has been suggested.
“In case the PM decides to grant an extension to the chairman, the law ministry will draft an ordinance to amend the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) and forward it to the president,” the sources said.
If PM agrees, an amendment will be made in sub-section b of Section 6, which states, “There shall be a Chairman NAB to be appointed by the President in consultation with the [Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly] for a [non-extendable] period of [four] years on such terms and conditions as may be determined by the President and shall not be removed except on the grounds of removal of Judge of Supreme Court of Pakistan.”
Earlier, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said, “The government has decided not to consult Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif for the appointment of NAB chairman since he (Sharif) is accused in several corruption references filed by the bureau.”
Later, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari tweeted that PPP will forcefully oppose the illegal extension in the tenure of chairman NAB.
Saudi Arabia has announced that Saudi women can now live on their own without the approval of their male guardians.
Saudi Judicial authorities have revoked Paragraph B under article No. 169 of the “Law of Procedure before Sharia Courts”, reportedGulf Newswhich has been replaced now. It states “An adult woman has the right to choose where to live.”. It is also included, under the law if a woman is imprisoned, she will not be handed over to her guardian after the expiry of her sentence.
While speaking to a local newspaper, Saudi Attorney Naif Al-Mansi said, “Families can no longer file lawsuits against their daughters who choose to live alone.” Prior to this, under the old “absenteeism” law, families were able to file a report with the police against the woman in case she disappears or choose to live independently.
Under this law, last year, a Saudi woman Mariam Al Otaibi was detained because her family sued her for traveling alone. However, she won a historic ruling after the Saudi court passed a remarkable ruling that she had “the right to choose where to live”.
This new amendment made after the passing of a law that allowed Saudi Arabia women over the age of 18 to change names on their ID cards without guardian approval. Moreover, in 2017, the Kingdom’s Head of State granted permission to women to drive putting an end to an old traditional practice.
These developments are actually a part of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s Vision 2030, formed five years ago to focus more on public sectors.
Former prime minister (PM) Raja Pervaiz Ashraf among other opposition members have accused Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari of “making obscene gestures at an opposition MNA” in a claim that has been rubbished by the latter.
“I could not even dare to explain the kind of gestures made by the minister,” media quoted the former premier as saying after yet another session of the National Assembly was marred by ruckus by both government and opposition members during each other’s turn to speak on the floor.
According to the details of Wednesday’s episode in the lower house of the parliament, the government tabled the 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill that seeks open balloting in upcoming Senate polls. Minister for Law and Justice Farogh Naseem presented the bill amid loud slogans and protest by the opposition against the said amendment.
As the session continued, a heated exchange of words took place between three members of the parliament when Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Agha Rafiullah tore his copy of the bill and tossed it in the air in front of Speaker Asad Qaiser.
After the incident, the speaker’s desk was surrounded, books were banged on the desks to disrupt proceedings, whistles were blown and Rafiullah claimed that Mazari allegedly hand-signalled the number five at him; taking it as Moutza.
Moutza is the most traditional gesture of insult among Greeks. It consists of extending and spreading all fingers of the hand and presenting the palm towards the face of the person to be insulted with a forward motion. It is often coupled with swear words.
Rafiullah was furious; he refused to tolerate it; brought the matter to everyone’s attention and the commotion almost turned into a quarrel when a couple of ruling party MNAs, including Malik Anwar Taj, accused him of throwing papers on Speaker Asad Qaiser, The Express Tribune reported.
Rafiullah, however, denied the allegation and once again drew the house’s attention to Moutza.
Ex-PM Ashraf expressed annoyance over the alleged insulting gesture, regretted treasury benches’ behaviour and reminded them that they don’t have the numbers needed for making a constitutional amendment.
When given the floor, Mazari, on the other hand, alleged that Rafiullah swore at a woman MNA from the treasury benches and threw papers on Qaiser’s face.
“I was only seeking your attention,” she told the speaker when asked to explain her gestures.
