Joint session: Govt hoping to get laws passed as Opposition strategises against PTI’s move

• Treasury, opposition face real power test today in joint session of Parliament.
• PTI coalition has a majority of two votes in Parliament.
• Opposition is determined to resist government in today's sitting and stop it from legislating on "black laws".

ISLAMABAD: Both the government and joint Opposition are ready to flex their muscles in today’s joint session of Parliament convened as the ruling party appears confident over the passage of all its bills after getting the support of its allies.

The joint session has been summoned by President Arif Alvi today at 12pm.

The government eyes passing more than two dozen bills with the help of its allied parties, while the opposition parties have vowed to foil the treasury’s attempt to get the "black laws" passed at all costs.

The bills to be taken up for passage were referred to the joint sitting by the National Assembly after they were not okayed within the stipulated 90 days.

Members of the National Assembly have started arriving for the joint sitting of Parliament. Prime Minister Imran Khan, Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif and PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari have reached Parliament House, while other members are also arriving.

On arrival at Parliament House, journalists asked Shehbaz Sharif whether he would give a tough time to the government or defeat it. Shehbaz responded that the Opposition said has its numbers figured out and that whatever Allah will will happen. "The opposition will give its answer in the joint meeting," he said.

Party position

The PTI-led government needs a simple majority in the joint sitting of houses currently having a total strength of 440 members (341 MNAs and 99 Senators) to get the bills passed.

As per data, the government currently enjoys the support of a minimum of 221 parliamentarians, including 179 MNAs and 42 senators.

The treasury benches enjoy an edge of at least two votes over the opposition parties jointly. The opposition parties are supported by 219 parliamentarians, including 162 MNAs and 57 senators.

There are four independent MNAs including Mohsin Dawar, Ali Wazir, and Ali Nawaz Shah, who support the opposition while Aslam Bhotani sits on treasury benches.

The MQM-P having seven MNAs and one senator on Tuesday announced to support the government in the passage of all the bills at the joint sitting after its reservations were addressed by Prime Minister Imran Khan and the cabinet members at different sittings.

Meanwhile, in this crucial situation, despite the government’s claims, the PML-Q was yet to officially announce its support to the controversial legislation. Only a day before, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi chaired a meeting of the PML-Q during which the party leaders expressed concerns over inflation, increasing prices of petroleum products and tariffs of electricity and gas.

“We cannot face our voters in this situation,” they said. The PMLQ in the Parliament is represented by five members of the National Assembly and one Senator.

Opposition prepares joint strategy

In response, the joint opposition is determined to resist the government in today's sitting and stop it from legislating on "black laws".

The resolve was expressed during a meeting of the joint opposition, with the Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif in the chair.

In the meeting, it was decided that all party heads would ensure their lawmakers’ attendance during the session, as the numbers to block the legislation would matter.

Shehbaz, sharing his thoughts during the meeting, said: "The government has pushed the country towards an economic decline and the masses are burdened with inflation."

The opposition leader said the government could not save itself through its "black laws" as it is "no better than a crumbling wall".

He expressed his appreciation over the united efforts of the opposition in Parliament and thanked them for their cooperation.

Slamming the government on its pressure tactics, PPP’s parliamentary leader in the Senate Senator Sherry Rehman said this joint session will go down in history as the one that tore Parliament apart.

“Any election built on an edifice of institutionalized cheating will never hold. Nor will the laws they try to bulldoze tomorrow via a manufactured majority that will fall like a house of cards,” she said on the government move on the summoning of the joint session of the Parliament.

‘PTI pressuring parties to vote’

Meanwhile, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had said the PTI-led government was pressurising parties with smaller representation to participate in the joint session.

"The incompetent rulers are gearing up to extend their reign [by getting the bills passed in the Parliament]. The incumbent government is ruling on a 'fake' majority," he had said.