NA passes Elections (Second Amendment) Bill 2024 against SC reserved seats

Islamabad: The National Assembly on Tuesday passed the Elections (Second Amendment) Bill, 2024. It was moved by Bilal Azhar Kayani.

The bill proposed amendments to the Elections Act 2017 to bar legislators from changing their party affiliation amid strong resistance from the opposition benches who termed the legislation "unconstitutional".

In his remarks, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said that legislation is the prerogative of the parliament. He said the bill is in accordance with the spirit of the constitution.

Responding to a calling attention notice, the Law Minister informed the house that work is being done on a war footing to ensure the timely issuance of passports.

He said relevant equipment is being procured, including twenty state-of-the-art printers, to enhance the capacity for passport printing to over fifty-five thousand per day. He mentioned that the installation of this equipment will start by the end of September this year and expressed confidence that the situation regarding passport issuance will improve starting in October.

Four bills were laid before the house today. These included: The Acid and Burn Crime Bill, the National Commission on the Rights of Child Amendment Bill, the Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Bill and the Ravi Institute Sahiwal Bill. The chair referred the bills to the standing committees concerned.

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar also laid before the House Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Amendment Bill, 2024.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly passed a resolution calling upon India to stop blatant human rights violations in Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and implement the UN Security Council resolutions so that the Kashmiri people can decide their future through an impartial and fair plebiscite under the umbrella of the United Nations.

The resolution moved by Minister for Kashmir Affairs Amir Muqam, expressed solidarity with the oppressed Kashmir people. It demanded India to release the detained Kashmiri political leadership.

Alluding to the presence of a large number of Indian troops in IIOJK, the resolution strongly rejected the unilateral and illegal steps of 5th August, 2019.

Paying glowing tributes to the struggle and sacrifices of Kashmiri people, the resolution reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering political, diplomatic and moral support to the Kashmiri people in their legitimate struggle for right to self-determination.

At the outset, the house offered fateha for the departed soul of late MNA Mumtaz Mustafa and those who died in floods.