The Ordinance route: Since 2018 over 55% laws have been ordinances

Since coming to power in August 2018, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has promulgated 51 ordinances, which means that more than half — over 55% — of the law-making in the country has been done after bypassing the parliament, the constitutional law-making factory.

In fact, on October 31, 2019, the ruling party signed into law eight ordinances in a single day.

However, several ordinances after lapsing were placed in the National Assembly to be debated and converted into Acts.

What is an ordinance?

Article 89 of the Constitution grants the president powers to promulgate an ordinance, but only if in exceptional circumstances, such as when the Senate or National Assembly are not in session.

The ordinance once signed into law, the article adds, will have to be laid in the parliament after 120-days, when it expires.

How many laws vs ordinances has the government passed?

As per Geo.tv’s research, after going through the archives of the Printing Corporation of Pakistan, the PTI-led government has made 92 laws to date, of which 51 were through ordinances.

This does not include the recently promulgated ordinance regarding open ballot voting in the upcoming Senate polls.

President Arif Alvi signs ordinance for open balloting in Senate elections

In 2018, which was the PTI’s first parliamentary year, it made five laws, of which three were Ordinances.

In 2019, it made 33 laws of which 27, the majority, were ordinances, whereas, in 2020, it passed 51 laws of which 18 were ordinances.

As per the Printing Corporation of Pakistan, this year, to date, the PTI has passed three laws, all of which are ordinances.