The opposition has refused to accept the bills backed by the government that were passed in a joint sitting of the parliament earlier today, announcing that the legislation would be challenged in the court. The opposition was of the opinion that the treasury benches did not have the required votes to pass the bills.
Amendments to the Election Act, 2018 were passed, paving the way for the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and allowing overseas Pakistanis to vote in the elections.
Further, the International Court of Justice (Review and Re-consideration) Bill, 2021 to grant Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav the right to review also sailed through the parliament.
The opposition tore copies of the agenda and staged a walkout to protest the passage of the bills in haste. Members surrounded the treasury benches and anti-government slogans. The sergeants-at-arms had to stand shoulder to shoulder to prevent both sides from physically attacking each other.
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif, while addressing the media outside Parliament House, said that the bills were bulldozed today and NA Speaker Asad Qaiser had insulted the parliamentary traditions. He claimed that the opposition's votes counted were far fewer than their actual numbers.
He also said that the speaker refused to listen to the opposition when told that the government's votes were not sufficient to pass the bills.
Shehbaz Sharif claimed that three or four additional votes were counted in the government's favour, adding, "we had more than 200 lawmakers in the parliament today."
Amendments to the Election Act, 2018 were passed, paving the way for the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and allowing overseas Pakistanis to vote in the elections.
Further, the International Court of Justice (Review and Re-consideration) Bill, 2021 to grant Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav the right to review also sailed through the parliament.
The opposition tore copies of the agenda and staged a walkout to protest the passage of the bills in haste. Members surrounded the treasury benches and anti-government slogans. The sergeants-at-arms had to stand shoulder to shoulder to prevent both sides from physically attacking each other.
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif, while addressing the media outside Parliament House, said that the bills were bulldozed today and NA Speaker Asad Qaiser had insulted the parliamentary traditions. He claimed that the opposition's votes counted were far fewer than their actual numbers.
He also said that the speaker refused to listen to the opposition when told that the government's votes were not sufficient to pass the bills.
Shehbaz Sharif claimed that three or four additional votes were counted in the government's favour, adding, "we had more than 200 lawmakers in the parliament today."