NA passes military, nuclear command bills amid opposition walkout

The National Assembly on Thursday passed two bills concerning the military and nuclear command structure amid an opposition walkout and objections from the PPP.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif presented the Defence Forces Act, 2010 and the amended National Command Authority Act, 2010 in the house as opposition lawmakers walked out.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari objected to the legislation, saying the party had not been consulted before the bills were introduced.

The bills were not included in the National Assembly’s agenda for Thursday. They were approved earlier in the day by the federal cabinet at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The prime minister was present in the National Assembly when the bills were presented but left after the house approved the legislation.

The session was subsequently adjourned until 11am on Friday.

According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office after the cabinet meeting, the bills had been drafted as a follow-up to changes introduced through the 27th Constitutional Amendment.

The Defence Forces Act seeks to regulate administrative matters relating to the office of the Chief of Defence Forces and the Chief of Defence Forces Headquarters, the statement said.