The Senate has made a significant move by unanimously passing the Contempt of Parliament (National Assembly & Senate) Bill 2023. Also known as the Contempt of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) Bill 2023, the legislation was introduced by Senator Kauda Babar and aims to impose strict penalties for contemptuous behavior towards the parliament.
According to the provisions of the bill, individuals found guilty of holding the parliament or its members in contempt may face up to six months of imprisonment, a fine of Rs1 million, or both.
The bill was successfully passed by the Senate and is now awaiting the ceremonial presidential assent to become law.
This is not the first time the Contempt of Parliament Bill 2023 has been presented. Earlier, in May, it was passed by the National Assembly (NA) after being tabled by PTI dissident lawmaker Rana Qasim Noon. The bill underwent some amendments during the legislative process, reducing the fine amount from Rs10 million to Rs1 million, and was subsequently approved by the NA lawmakers.
Furthermore, the Senate also approved two other bills – the Pakistan Institute of Management Sciences & Technology Bill presented by independent senator Rana Maqbool, and the NFC Institute of Engineering and Technology Multan Bill, which was introduced by Federal Education Minister Rana Tanveer in the National Assembly.
Earlier in May, the Senate had passed the Election Act amendment bill 2022 and the National Accountability Ordinance Amendment Bill 2022 with a majority vote. These bills aimed to reverse the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), voting rights of overseas Pakistanis, and curtail the powers of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The passage of these bills sparked protests from opposition lawmakers.
During the voting process, Law Minister Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar presented the bills for approval, while PTI Parliamentary Leader Shahzad Waseem suggested sending them to the concerned standing committees for further discussion. However, the Senate Chairman opted for direct voting, resulting in their approval with a majority vote.
These legislative developments are likely to have significant implications for the functioning of the parliament and the legal consequences of showing contempt towards its members.