Decisive joint session of Parliament: Govt and Opposition ready to flex their muscles
Amid fervent protest Election Act Amendment Bill
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PM Imran Khan reaches Parliament House
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Meeting of Shahbaz and Bilawal
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PDM meeting before the joint meeting
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Important bills will be presented for approval
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MQM-P announces support to the govt in the passage of bills
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PML-Q yet to officially announce its support
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Four independent MNAs
ISLAMABAD Nov 17,2021
A decisive joint session of Parliament is being held today (Nov 17). Both the government and joint Opposition are ready to flex their muscles as the ruling party appears confident over the passage of all its bills after getting the support of its allies.
PM Imran Khan reaches Parliament House
Prime Minister Imran Khan has reached the Parliament House to attend the joint sitting of Parliament, which will begin shortly. Talking to media persons at Parliament House, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that a player is ready for anything when he walks on the field.
“The player on the ground says I will do better than the opponent,” he said.
Meeting of Shahbaz and Bilawal
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, President Noon League Shahbaz Sharif has met Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in connection with the joint sitting of Parliament.
Shahbaz Sharif warmly welcomed Bilawal Bhutto. Maulana Asad Mahmood and other members also attended the meeting.
PDM meeting before the joint meeting
Before the joint sitting of Parliament, a PDM parliamentary session was held under the chairmanship of Shahbaz Sharif.
The meeting was attended by members of PML-N and other parties of PDM.
Which important bills will be presented for approval in the joint meeting?
In a joint sitting of parliament, the government will introduce a number of important bills, including the use of electronic voting machines, electoral reforms, including the right of overseas Pakistanis to vote.
A simple majority of the members of the House is required to pass these bills.
Postponement of joint session of Parliament confirms govt’s defeat: Opposition claims
The number of government and allies in the parliament is 221, while the number of united opposition is 213.
Senator Dilawar Khan Group also has 6 important seats, the total number of members present in both the houses is 440.
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.
Four independent MNAs
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.
MQM-P announces support to the government in the passage of bills
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.
PML-Q yet to officially announce its support to controversial legislation
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.
