ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi on Tuesday said that the government has profound respect for the Senate and would accept the decision regarding the introduction of the Motion Pictures (Amendment) Bill, 2023.
Responding to a point of order raised by Mian Raza Rabbani, the minister reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to uphold the constitution, law and democracy emphasizing 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 relevant 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 on the matter besides taking the Attorney General’s point of view.
During an earlier point of order, Mian Raza Rabbani raised concerns about 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 the prerogative of elected representatives.
He urged the chair to prevent the minister from introducing the bill and remove it from the agenda.
Earlier, speaking in the Senate during question hour, Murtaza Solangi assured the House that all questions of esteemed senators would receive detailed answers from the respective ministries and departments.
He said that he had been assigned the charge of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs yesterday and it was his responsibility to provide satisfactory answers to the senator’s questions. —APP
