ISLAMABAD: The government is expected to face a strong reaction from opposition parties and even some of its coalition partners over the recent hike in oil prices, imposition of controversial flood surcharge and increase in import duties through presidential ordinances when the National Assembly begins the first session of its fourth parliamentary year here on Monday afternoon.
Though the 30th session of the assembly has mainly been convened to hold a mandatory debate on the March 22 address of President Asif Ali Zardari to a joint sitting of parliament, the opposition parties have already submitted a number of adjournment motions and call attention notices on important national issues and plan to raise them with full force.
The session is expected to continue for three weeks, according to adviser to the government on parliamentary affairs Izhar Amrohvi, thus providing sufficient time to the opposition members to vent their anger on a number of issues, particularly those of the release of CIA contractor Raymond Davis, price hike and increase in electricity and gas loadshedding.
The opposition parties which had boycotted the presidential address are now planning to fully participate in the debate on it, saying they want to avail this opportunity to assail the government`s “failed policies” in all the areas and sectors.
Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, who has recently returned from London after seeking guidelines from party chief Nawaz Sharif regarding the forthcoming assembly session, has already announced that his party will register its protest on the floor of the house over the recent increase in oil prices and delay in the appointment of new chairman of National Accountability Bureau despite the Supreme Court`s detailed judgment on it.
Chaudhry Nisar on Friday told a group of reporters that he would also target the other coalition partners of the Pakistan People`s Party (PPP), particularly the Awami National Party (ANP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) for continuing to provide their support to the government in all the controversial matters.
Some members of the PML-N and PML-Q have also declared that they will raise the issue of the devolution of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to the provinces under the 18th Amendment.
There is no indication from the government about its legislation plan for the forthcoming session. During the third parliamentary year that ended on March 15, the National Assembly passed 31 bills as compared to 32 during the second parliamentary year.
The lower house, which has so far held 29 sessions since March 2008, passed a total of 67 bills in three years, but the fact that almost 50 per cent of these have not yet become “acts of parliament” is indeed a black spot on the face of the legislative performance of the government in parliament, according to observers. The official data reveals that out of the 67 bills the president has put his seal only on 34.
According to the official figures, a record number of 107 private member bills were also tabled in the house during the last three years and almost all of them have been lying dormant before concerned standing committees.
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