Historic as second consecutive elected govt set to complete term today

ISLAMABAD - For the first time in Pakistan's history, a second consecutive democratic government and elected National Assembly is set to complete its five-year term tonight on May 31, paving ways for a smooth transition.

The lower house of the Parliament will stand dissolved at midnight, after which, the caretaker setup will take over the government for holding the general elections, set to be held on July 25.

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah have already selected the name of Justice (retd) Nasirul Mulk for interim PM.

https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/govt-opposition-in-new-talks-to-end-deadlock-on-caretaker-pm/

A farewell session of the 14th National Assembly will be held today before the ending of the tenure. A contingent of Pakistan Armed Forces will also present a salute to the PM as he departs from his office later today.

Throwback

During the five years, a total of 56 sessions of the National Assembly were held, besides 12 joint sessions of the Parliament.

In an unprecedented move, six federal budgets sailed through the incumbent assembly. The House also passed a total of 189 bills during the last five years besides approving 136 Act of Parliament.

Some of the important bills passed during the tenure included FATA-KP merger bill; the Gas Infrastructure Development Cess (Amendment) Act, 2018; The Evening Courts Act, 2018; the Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils (Amendment) Act, 2018; The Transgender Persons (Protection and Rights) Act, 2018; the Supreme Court and High Court (Extension of Jurisdiction to Federally Administered Tribal Areas) Bill, 2018; the Constitution (Amendment) Act, 2017; the Elections (Amendment) Act, 2017; the Right of Access to Information Act, 2017; and the Elections Act, 2017, reported APP.

Among other important bills passed were Companies Act, 2017; the Alternative Dispute Resolution Act, 2017; the Representation of the People Act, 2017; the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Amendment) Act, 2017; the Witness Protection, Security and Benefit Act, 2017; the Pakistan Commissions of Inquiry Bill, 2017; the Constitution (Twenty-Eight Amendment) Act, 2017; the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 2017; the Hindu Marriage Act, 2016; the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016; the Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Act, 2016; the Constitution (Twenty-second Amendment) Act, 2016; the Constitution (Twenty-first Amendment) Act, 2015; and the Protection of Pakistan Act, 2014.

Major Setback

A major setback suffered by the PML-N government during its tenure was the disqualification of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the Panamagate case.

Last year, the Supreme Court of Pakistan disqualified Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for not disclosing his employment with FZE Capital, in a landmark decision.

https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/panama-case-verdict-pakistan-supreme-court-disqualifies-pm-nawaz-sharif/

The 5-o verdict was announced by a five-judge bench, headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa - the same judge who had commenced his dissenting note in the April 20 judgment with a quote from The Godfather, a novel by Mario Puzo about a mafia family in Italy. The verdict declared Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ‘disqualified’ for concealing his employment.

Following the verdicts, the National Accountability Bureau filed three corruption references against members of Sharif family - Nawaz Sharif, Hasan, Hussain, Maryam and Captain (retd) Safdar. The cases are being heard by the court, while proceedings in the Avenfield reference has been completed.

https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/nab-files-four-references-against-sharifs-dar/