Islamabad: The upper House of Pakistani parliament, Senate, on Wednesday unanimously passed the contempt of Court Act, 2012.
Minister for Law Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Farooq H Naik tabled new Contempt of Court bill in the Senate, which exempts public office holders from being tried or sentenced.
The bill has been passed a day before Supreme Court hearing into NRO implementation case where Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf is likely to inform the court whether he is going to write a letter to Swiss authorities or otherwise.
Earlier the bill was passed by the National Assembly by suspending rules requiring its scrutiny by a house standing committee.
After the passage of the bill it would require a consent of the president to become a law. The bill is aimed at protecting the prime minister against the same fate his predecessor met under contempt court charges.
PML-N senators in protest to the bill staged a walkout. Earlier during the Senate session, PML-N Senator Ishaq Dar said his party strongly opposed the bill calling it a “slap on our faces.”
Dar added that even if the bill was approved, the PML-N would try to ensure that it does not remain part of the constitution.
The vice president of the National Party, Hasil Bizenjo said the contempt bill should be sent to the standing committee for debate.
Meanwhile concern over the bill was also voiced by PPP Senators Aitzaz Ahsan and Raza Rabbani.
Rabbani said there was a possibility that the Supreme Court would declare some clauses of the bill as unlawful.
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