The government has decided to issue gazzette notifications of the election and NAB Ordinance amended bills, passed in the joint sitting of the Parliament and not signed by the president.
The gazzette notification, which will be notified in 10 days, will make these bills into law.
President Arif Alvi had returned back the election amendment bill and the NAB amendment legislation without signing on two bills to the government.
“I have an affiliation with the issues of electronic voting machines and the overseas voting,” the President said. “I have followed these issues in governments, the Parliament and the Supreme Court,” Alvi further said.
“I know the constitution will enact the bill into a law despite my avoiding to
sign on it. As President it is painful for me personally over not to sign on it,” President commented.
Former prime minister and PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, while criticizing the President’s refusal said,” How the system will run if the President of the state will become a party worker”. “The President who was promulgating one of another ordinance, now seeing flaws in every piece of legislation. During the PTI rule the bill were even signed in the darkness of the night,” he said.
It is to be mentioned here that the president had earlier also refused to sign the bills seeking amendments in the NAB and election laws, and returned them back to the Parliament.
The National Assembly had passed bills to abolish the PTI government’s election reforms giving overseas Pakistanis the right to vote through i-Voting and electronic voting machines (EVMs), as well as the NAB laws.
After the president’s refusal to sign the bills, the joint session of the Parliament had passed the National Accountability (Second Amendment) Bill 2021 and Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2022.
After the joint sitting’s approval, the bills were sent once again to the President for approval. The bills passed from the joint sitting of the Parliament could turn into law within 10 days despite not being signed by the President. It will be considered that his assent has been given under Article 75(2) of the Constitution.