President Asif Zardari has officially signed the Elections Act (Second Amendment Bill) 2024 into law, completing its legislative journey. The bill, which had received majority approval in both the National Assembly and the Senate, is now enacted following the president’s endorsement.
The Senate Secretariat forwarded the bill to President Zardari after its passage through both chambers of Parliament. With the president’s signature, the legislative process is concluded, and the next step involves issuing a gazette notification to formally announce the new law.
On August 6, the Senate approved the bill by majority vote, following its earlier endorsement by the National Assembly. Senator Farooq H. Naek confirmed that the bill had been passed without amendments from the opposition, which had 15 members present against 30 treasury members in the Senate. “Once the bill is passed, no further debate is permitted,” Naek stated.
Opposition members voiced strong objections during the debate. Senator Ali Zafar of PTI criticized judicial interference, asserting that Parliament’s decisions should not be undermined. “If any institution interferes, I will stand with Parliament,” Zafar declared. Senator Naek emphasized that only the courts can nullify unconstitutional laws.
Earlier in the day, the National Assembly also passed the Elections Act (Amendment Bill) 2024. The bill, introduced by PML-N’s Bilal Azhar Kayani and Zaib Jaffar, includes provisions such as candidates needing to submit their party affiliation certificate before receiving an election symbol, and stipulates that failure to submit the list of candidates for reserved seats disqualifies a party from those seats.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) subsequently challenged the bill in the Supreme Court, with PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan filing a petition to annul the law. The Supreme Court has been asked to review the bill’s constitutionality, with the federation and the Election Commission of Pakistan named as respondents.
