ISLAMABAD:Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said an in-camera briefing will be given to the members of National Assembly tomorrow (Friday), on security situation.

Speaking in the National Assembly on Thursday, on the points raised by some members, he said the members will be allowed to raise their questions and concerns at this special session.

The Prime Minister assured that the concerns of the members will be addressed and that no such thing will be done which deteriorates the situation. He said our effort will be to fix the problems.

Minister for Defense Khawaja Asif said the military leadership will be present in this special session and respond to the queries of the members. He said the military leadership is cognizant of the challenge posed by terrorism.

He voiced serious concerns over the surge in terrorist acts in the country saying those who helped these terrorists settle in the civilian areas must be held accountable.

The National Assembly on Thursday also passed a resolution rejecting the eight member bench of the Supreme Court constituted to hear the petition challenging The Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023.

The resolution moved by Agha Rafiullah condemned fixing the hearing of the case in haste stressing that the bill has yet not been enacted. Therefore, the formation of the bench is unnecessary and it should be dissolved.

The resolution noted that non-inclusion of two judges from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa itself shows the partiality of the bench.

The resolution stated that according to the constitution, it is only the prerogative of the parliament to legislate and that the house sees with greater concern the interference of the court in the parliament’s authority.

The resolution said that the recent controversial decisions of the court have not only created a constitutional crisis but are also giving an impression of partiality.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb told the house, during question hour, that it was because of criminal negligence of the previous government that the PTV Sports could not get the exclusive rights to telecast FIFA World Cup.

She said this impacted the revenue of the PTV. She said a three-member committee has been constituted to further probe into the matter and necessary action will be taken in the light of findings and recommendations of the committee.

Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Broadcasting Shahbaz Babar said Radio Pakistan broadcasts programs in different provincial and regional languages and its broadcasts also highlight the cultural heritage and the religious festivals of followers of other religions. He said Radio Pakistan is for all the Pakistanis.

Meanwhile, The National Assembly passed the Tax Laws Second Amendment bill 2022. The bill moved by Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar amends certain laws relating to taxes and duties. The House also passed the Hajj and Umrah Regulation Bill, 2022.

The National Assembly rejected a motion to consider the Charged Sums for General Election of Provincial Assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bill, 2023.

Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarar said an overwhelming majority has rejected the motion and this bill shall be treated as rejected and there is no need of its clause by clause reading.

He pointed out that standing committee on finance also opposed the passage of the bill. The House also passed the Code of Criminal Procedure Amendment Bill, 2022.

Some other Bills were also laid before the house today. These included: The Constitution Amendment Bill, 2023, the Protection of Family Life and Wedlock Bill, 2023, the National Council for Minorities Rights Bill, 2023. The chair referred the bills to the standing committees concerned.

Responding to a calling attention notice, Minister of State for Finance Aisha Ghous Pasha said concrete steps are being taken to check smuggling through the Afghanistan border. She was confident that improvement would soon be visible in this regard.

Responding to a calling attention notice, Minister for Power Khurram Dastagir said the agriculture tube wells are being provided with subsidized electricity.

He said we continue to provide subsidy of 7.82 rupees per unit to the farmers. He said the power tariff for agriculture connections is less if compared with other sectors. The House has now been adjourned to meet again on April 26 at 4:00 pm.