PTI sowing seeds, but someone else to reap its benefits: Asif Zardari

ISLAMABAD: Taking a jibe at the ruling party for bulldozing the electoral bills in the joint sitting of Parliament, former president Asif Zardari said they [the PTI government] are using all their energy to sow the seeds of this legislation, but they will not benefit its fruits, and rather someone else will reap the benefits.

The PPP supremo spoke to journalists briefly at Parliament House, where he was attending the joint sitting during which the government managed to get 33 bills passed.

He was asked about the PTI government’s efforts for the passage of bills related to electronic voting machines and voting rights for overseas Pakistanis.

Questioned over the joint session being convened without taking the Opposition into confidence and whether the government succeeded in its plans, Zardari replied the government was getting success due to other reasons. “And you know the other reasons better,” he said.

“The government is using all its energy to sow the seeds of this legislation, but someone else will benefit from its fruits,” the former president added.

Top Opposition leaders, including Shehbaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto, had also lashed out at the government for not following the democratic principles and rushing through the legislation.

33 bills sail through joint session

During the joint session of Parliament Wednesday, the government powered through 33 bills amid strong protest by the Opposition and rigging claims during the counting.

The parliament also passed the International Court of Justice ICJ (Review and Reconsideration) Bill, 2020 to give the right of appeal to Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav in the light of ICJ directives.

Following a walkout of the opposition members after the passage of the two bills, the government got the remaining over 32 other bills easily passed. However, some of the opposition members returned to the House to move their amendments.

During the session, the opposition members gathered in front of the Speaker’s dais raising slogans ‘Cheeni Chor, Atta Chor, Go Niazi Go and rigging, rigging’ while tearing copies of bills and order of the day.

A ruckus broke out when Adviser to Prime Minister Babar Awan presented item No 3 on the list of the day’s orders that pertained to the Bill further to amend the Elections Act, 2017 [The Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2021].

The opposition MNAs demanded the NA Speaker to let PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari speak, with some of them gathering around the Speaker’s rostrum.

At one point, NA Speaker Asad Qaiser and PPP MNA Abdul Qadir Mandokhail engaged in an argument which was followed by the Speaker’s warning for the MNA to speak courteously.

However, when Mandokhail didn’t pay heed to the warning, the Speaker directed security to escort Mandokhail out of Parliament.