Joint Session of Parliament to be held tomorrow

• A joint session of Parliament has been summoned
• A bill will be presented for amendments in the Foreign Investment Act
• PTI Senators have decided not to attend the session

ISLAMABAD: A joint session of Parliament has been summoned for Tuesday (tomorrow), BOL News reported.

The joint session will be held in Parliament House at 3 PM. The president has also summoned a session of the National Assembly to be held at 5:30 PM.

During the joint session, a bill will be made regarding amendments in the Foreign Investment (Amendment) Act, 2022, which favours the multiple-billion Reko Diq mining project.

The allies of the coalition government from Balochistan protested over the deal and said they were not consulted during the signing of the agreement. The government assured to address their reservation and agreed to make amendments in the bill.

Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar will present the bill before the parliament. Commerce Minister Naveed Qamar will present the bill to amend the Exports and Imports Control Act, 1950.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senators have decided not to participate in the joint session of the Parliament. Sources revealed that it was a principled stance not to participate in any joint session. The party’s senators have been instructed not to attend the joint session.

The federal cabinet had recently approved the signing of the Reko Diq agreement after the Supreme Court validated the agreed. The Senate passed the oreign Investment (Amendment) Act, 2022, which paved way for the early start of the mining project.

Two allied parties of the ruling coalition – Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) and Balochistan National Party (Mengal) – raised concerns over the project agreement.

The party’s ministers staged a walkout from federal cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and said they were not taken into confidence on Reko Diq deal.

The government assured to address their concerns and make amendments to the bill. However, the parties decided to remain absent from cabinet meetings until their reservations are addressed.

Federal Ministers Ayaz Sadiq and Azam Nazir Tarar held talks with JUI-F and BNP-M leaders to allay their concerns over the agreement.

The allied parties expressed resentment for not being taken into confidence related to the bill. They said the bill is against the 18^th Amendment and provincial autonomy.

The federal minister said the government is ready for amendments in the bill. Law Minister Tarar said he stand by his assurances given on the floor of the National Assembly.

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