ISLAMABAD: Democracy in Pakistan has been left almost as weak as it was after the new government was elected on July 25, 2018, according to the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PLDAT) in its assessment of the country’s 15th National Assembly. I have come to this conclusion. JEE News reported.
The think tank noted that the previous National Assembly and elected representatives allowed democracy to weaken during their five-year term in Parliament instead of making efforts to strengthen it.
In his analysis of the state of democracy in light of the outgoing legislature, the president, on the advice of the prime minister, dissolved the 15th National Assembly three days before the end of its five-year term, which not only called for general elections. extended another 30 days to the time but at the same time expressed doubts about holding the elections of the next National Assembly on time.
According to Pldat’s report, the outgoing National Assembly passed a total of 279 pieces of legislation in five years, with the latest rush legislation undermining the fundamental principles of the constitutional scheme of democracy and human rights.
It added that legislative activities in the 15th National Assembly saw a 45 percent increase as compared to the 192 laws passed during the 14th National Assembly.
The outgoing National Assembly saw two governments. The first was led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan from August 18, 2018 to April 10, 2022. While the second government was formed by Pakistan Democratic Movement with Shahbaz Sharif as the Prime Minister which continued from 11 April 2022 to 9 August 2023.
It said the PTI government relied heavily on ordinances for legislative purposes, adding that out of 75 ordinances introduced in the National Assembly in 5 years, only three were enacted by the coalition government, when That 72 was implemented by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. Government
Puldat said that compared to the 14th National Assembly period when only 38 ordinances were promulgated, the 15th National Assembly saw a 97 percent increase in the number of ordinances passed, adding that compared to He has passed the most laws. The last three assemblies began in 2002.
Puldat said that 73 bills were passed in the last three weeks of the 15th NA, out of which 36 (49 per cent) bills were not referred to the respective committees.
In its five-year tenure, the 15th NA was convened for only 452 seats or an average of 90 seats per year, he said, adding that the previous (14th) NA was convened for 495 seats or an average of 90 seats per year. An average of 99 seats were called in the year which is not itself. A strong performance but it still represents a 9% drop in seats.
Puldat said the National Assembly spent a total of 1,245 work hours over the five years, or an average of 249 work hours per year, which represents a 21 percent drop in productivity compared to the previous Assembly, which averaged 315 work hours per year. What did
It should be noted that the average cost to taxpayers of each working hour over five years is Rs 24.23 million per hour.
The 15th National Assembly also had the unique experience of successfully passing a no-confidence vote against a prime minister for the first time in Pakistan’s parliamentary history, he added, though the previous two prime ministers faced no-confidence votes. was But they failed.
Puldat said that the 15th NA also had the dubious distinction where the outgoing prime minister claimed that he had to bring his allied MNAs into the House to legislate and even pass the federal budget. The assistance of intelligence agencies was required and used. The 15th National Assembly did not undertake any institutional reforms during its five-year tenure.
It said the Assembly merely goes through the motions of scrutinizing and approving the budget and needs serious reforms to effectively exercise its long-standing role of proposing and scrutinizing the annual budget.
It said that during the five years of the 15th National Assembly, an average of only 15 meetings were held annually to discuss the all-important annual federal budget, adding that only 173 members attended the budget meetings annually. .
Similarly, the National Assembly spends an average of 70 hours annually in budget meetings.
The 15th National Assembly was the first such assembly which did not allow the budget approved by the assembly to be changed by means of a supplementary budget under Article 84 of the Constitution.
Puldat said that despite repeated promises, the Prime Minister’s Weekly Question Time was not started during or even after nearly four years of Imran Khan’s tenure as Prime Minister.
Members of the Assembly and committees have also failed to question and monitor the state’s key policy decisions and actions during the last five years of serious crises, for example, the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). ) with Pakistan’s involvement, the crisis. with India on the so-called ‘Cyper Issue’, among other regional and international concerns, on the status change of Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
It is the fourth assembly out of the 15 legislatures of Pakistan to complete its term. Earlier, assemblies that completed their five-year terms were elected in 2002, 2008 and 2013, he said, adding that the performance data of the 15th National Assembly was not much different from that of the previous assembly.
It said that the greatest show of confidence in the National Assembly is its own membership in terms of its attendance, adding that the Prime Minister, as Leader of the House, sets the trend.
But former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s only 11 percent attendance and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s only 17 percent attendance at assembly meetings reflect their voting with their feet in the assembly. Successive prime ministers seem to have given limited importance to the House that elects them.
As Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif did not attend more than 14 percent of the National Assembly sessions, while Shahid Khaqan Abbasi attended 19 percent of the sessions compared to 76 percent of the former Prime Minister’s attendance (based on three years and three months). . Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani.
It said that former Prime Minister Imran Khan had the dubious distinction of having the lowest attendance in the National Assembly in the last 20 years, which saw nine Prime Ministers during that period.
The average attendance of MNAs over five years is 61 per cent, though it was 67 per cent before the PTI’s decision to quit the National Assembly.
It added that despite this high level of attendance on record for the National Assembly, it was often found to lack a quorum (25% attendance).
During the previous three years and eight months of PTI-led rule, the federal government ensured that there was little use for the opposition in the National Assembly.
Puldat said the former prime minister chose not to rise above his distaste for leading opposition figures and instead resorted to severely curtailing the efficiency and effectiveness of the assembly.
His liberal use of election rhetoric for opposition leaders and stubborn attitude to engagement not only affected consensus-based legislation on national and international issues but also the serious regional and security crises facing Pakistan. Also agreed on the desired and unified national position in the context.
As incomprehensible as it was at the time, it even chose to avoid fulfilling binding constitutional and statutory obligations and not to consult formally on statutory appointments such as membership of the ECP and only to avoid consultation on the appointment of national accountability. issued an ordinance for The Chairperson of the Bureau (NAB) added.
Before it finally got the chance to topple the PTI government, the joint opposition in the National Assembly also engaged in mass protests, sloganeering, walkouts, tearing of assembly documents and the destruction of ministers, the prime minister and even That was limited to the President.
It said fundamental reforms such as the formation of shadow cabinets among individual parties or a joint opposition in the National Assembly were not implemented and the opposition remained unwilling to challenge the government on most policy and legislative issues.
However, Puldat analyzed that it could be argued that the tone set in the early term of the 15th National Assembly seriously undermined the parliamentary system and democracy.
From non-congratulations between the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition to skipping important in-camera briefings in view of national crises, the shared bitterness has not only affected the working environment of the National Assembly but also adversely affected the affairs of the Assembly. Affected Contaminating the state and overall national political climate led to unprecedented political polarization.
