Pak govt, opposition to clip Musharraf's powers

In a surprise move, the Pakistani government has joined hands with the opposition in the Senate to clip President Pervez Musharraf's powers to promulgate ordinances while the Upper House is in session.

Leader of Opposition Raza Rabbani on Monday moved the 18th Amendment Bill aimed at curtailing the President's powers to promulgate ordinances if the Senate was in session, The News reported in Islamabad on Tuesday.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Senator Kamil Ali Agha did not oppose this Bill. Subsequently, it was referred to the concerned standing committee.

According to the Bill, Article 89 of the Constitution places fetters on the legislation through ordinances and it seems to be "an anomaly, all bills excepting the money bills can originate in either House but an ordinance can only not be promulgated while the National Assembly is in session".

The constitutional amendment moved by the opposition seeks to correct this position. The opposition also moved six other bills after the government agreed. All the seven bills were drafted and submitted by the opposition to the Upper House secretariat in 2004, but the government had been sitting on them so far.

"The passage of these bills will certainly depend on a deal between the government and the opposition," Agha was quoted as saying in the Senate. However, Rabbani took the remark as an allusion to the reported deal between Musharraf and former self-exiled Premier Benazir Bhutto and said, "Rest assured that no deal is going to be struck. The PML is spreading such rumours after losing hope to get votes in the coming elections."

The Senate also allowed introduction of another bill drafted by the Leader of Opposition to provide for the ratification by the Upper House of all treaties, contracts and trade protocols signed by Islamabad with other governments.