Acting president Sadiq Sanjrani assents to Election Act bill
Pakistan
Bill reduces disqualification term to five years
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Acting president Sadiq Sanjrani on Monday assented to the Election Act bill.
The bill reduces the term of disqualification from lifetime to five years. The bill became an act of parliament after the assent.
On the other hand, the bill also transfers the authority of announcing the date for elections to the ECP.
Earlier, Sanjrani had accorded an approval to the Finance Bill 2023. The bill was approved by the National Assembly yesterday.
Having a total outlay of Rs14.48 trillion, the annual budget 2023-24 focuses on economic stability, sustainable and inclusive growth as well as curbing inflationary pressures.
Sanjrani had assumed the charge of acting president in the absence of President Dr Arif Alvi. President Alvi, along with his family, had earlier left for Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj.
According to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division, the Senate chairman assumed duties of the office of president in Quetta. Sanjrani is currently in Balochistan's capital due to the passing of his aunt.
Under the constitution, in the absence of the president - may it be for any reason - the chairman of the upper house of parliament takes his place as the acting president.
Sanjrani holds two unique distinctions of being the youngest, 39, chairman of the Senate and the first one to be elected to the position from Balochistan.
On June 16, the senate approved a bill which fixed the period of disqualification of a parliamentarian under Article 62 (1) (f) of the Constitution.
The bill stated that the disqualification should not exceed five years if the punishment is not specified in the constitution. It stated the convict would be eligible to become a member of parliament after the completion of the punishment.
Another bill proposing amendment to Section 232 of the Election Act, which was related to disqualification of lawmakers, was also tabled in the upper house of parliament. It stated the eligibility criteria, disqualification process and punishment should be in line with the Article 62 and 63 of the Constitution. The bill further proposed that a person convicted by the Supreme Court and high court would be disqualified for five years from the date of verdict.
The Senate also passed an amendment to the Election Act’s section 57 and 58 to withdraw power from the president to announce election date.
Speaking about the bill, Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarar said that under this bill, the Election Commission of Pakistan would now be able to announce the date for the general elections.
Former prime minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, while supporting the bill, said it was tantamount to protecting the future generations of Pakistan.
