A joint session of Parliament on Thursday approved a resolution backing the imposition of KP governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The vote came a day after the National Assembly and the Senate, sitting separately, each passed resolutions endorsing an emergency in the province.
Opposition Protests Inside the House
Opposition members arrived with placards reading “emergency na manzoor,” which translates to “emergency is unacceptable.” They kept up the chant as proceedings began.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry opened the session with a motion under Rule 232 of the Parliament (Joint Sitting) Rules 1973, seeking to suspend certain sub-rules. Amid loud shouts of “no” from the opposition, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq put the motion to a vote again and asked members to stand. It was adopted by 214 votes to 56.
Chaudhry then moved two resolutions, one for the Proclamation of Emergency under Article 232 and another for governor’s rule under Article 234. The emergency resolution was adopted with 240 votes in favour and 46 against.
What the Constitution Says About KP Governor’s Rule
Under Article 232, if the president acts on his own to proclaim an emergency, the proclamation must go before both Houses of Parliament, and each House must approve it within 10 days.
A proclamation of governor’s rule under Article 234 is laid before a joint sitting. It stops being in force after two months unless the joint sitting approves an extension. Even with extensions, the measure cannot stay in force for more than six months.
Government Defends the Move
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar opened the debate on the two resolutions. He noted that a resolution on the emergency also needed to pass through a joint sitting, and said a special mechanism has been set up to run KP’s affairs during the emergency and governor’s rule. Members of the treasury benches, he said, were ready to answer any question from the opposition.
Tarar said the PTI-led provincial government, which he described as non-functional, had been advised repeatedly to deal with terrorism. He also criticised PTI leaders for not attending the funerals of martyrs killed in terrorist attacks.
He added that Article 234 permits governor’s rule when a provincial government is being run against the Constitution. On the voting requirement, he said the joint sitting could reject the emergency resolution by a total majority, which he put at 51 per cent. The resolution on governor’s rule, he said, likewise needed a total majority of votes for approval.