ISLAMABAD: The PTI dissident member and Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges Chairman Rana Qasim Noon on Tuesday tabled Contempt of “Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) Bill, 2023”, seeking its immediate passage.
The contempt of parliament law would empower the House through its Speaker to punish any person, persons, or entity that commits disrespect to the Parliament by their action.
The bill authorises the parliament to summon any government or state official for insulting it and suggests a six-month imprisonment and hefty fine.
The draft for the bill has been prepared in light of the prevailing laws in Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh.
A 24-member parliamentary contempt committee, with equal representation from the government and the opposition, will investigate the cases before it.
The contempt committee will suggest punishment that will be finalised by the speaker of the house concerned.
MM News has learnt that according to the Contempt of Parliament Bill, a punishment of 2 to 6 years and a fine of Rs1 million is suggested for the ‘contempt’ of the Parliament.
Meanwhile, speaking on this occasion, the Opposition leader Raja Riaz, voiced his concerns, saying that it was a matter of the House’s honor and that there was no need to send it to a committee. He asked as to how a judge should sit and decide on the bill and, if necessary, cut off the head with a sword. He insisted that the bill should be approved without delay.
The Minister of State Shahadat Awan acknowledged the seriousness of the bill and praised its well-drafted language. He suggested sending the bill to the committee for one day and promised that the committee’s report would be ready the following day, allowing the bill to be presented to the House.
The Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Murtaza Javed Abbasi, supported Awan’s suggestion and requested the bill to be sent to the committee for one day.
Another member of the Parliament, Qadir Khan Mandokhail, expressed his concerns about ‘a court’s involvement” in the matter. Mandokhail believed that the House should take action and no one could challenge its authority. He accused the court of putting pressure on the House and refusing to provide records of the proceedings.
Sheikh Rohail Asghar, also a member of the Parliament, criticized the ministers for sending the bill to the committee, suggesting that they were only trying to secure their jobs. He questioned why the bill was being sent to the committee in the first place, especially if it did not require committee review.
Abdul Akbar Chitrali emphasized the importance of the Parliament as the supreme institution representing the people. He also highlighted to discuss of taking political matters to the courts in the future, stating that it needed to be addressed. He further pointed out that even the House’s own comrades were unable to exercise their authority while in prison.
