Caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi on Tuesday said that the government has great respect for the Senate and would accept the decision of this august house on the introduction of the Motion Pictures (Amendment) Bill, 2023.
Responding to a point of order raised by Mian Raza Rabbani, the minister said he had always firmly stood with the constitution, law and democracy adding that there was no possibility of change in the said principles.
He said that every bill took sufficient time in the process of preparation and the past government did the necessary work on it. The law ministry and respective legal branch had advised him to present the said bill in the House, the minister said.
Deferring the bill, Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani said that he would give his opinion in this regard besides taking the Attorney General’s point of view.
Earlier, on a point of order, Mian Raza Rabbani questioned the legality of introducing a bill by the caretaker minister. Citing section 230 of the Election Act 2017, he maintained that the caretaker government could not do legislation as it was only the job of the elected representatives.
He urged the chair not to allow the minister to introduce the bill and remove it from the agenda.
Murtaza Solangi clarified on Tuesday that the Cabinet Committee for Disposal of Legislative Cases does not wield more power than the Supreme Court and the Parliament.
In response to a calling attention notice regarding the issuance of a notification on August 23, 2023, which led to the establishment of the CCLC, the minister said, that Senator Raza Rabbani’s concerns on the committee have no reality.
