The federal government decides that the proposed amendments will be presented to parliament in the form of a bill
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif announces 150 buses for Karachi. PHOTO: EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sent a summary to the President warning of withdrawal of the Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, invoking Article 89 (2) (b) of the Constitution, it emerged on Monday.
The decision was made after it emerged that the ordinance had been issued despite lacking the president’s formal signature.
According to sources, the chief minister signed the summary recommending the withdrawal of the ordinance.
The development comes after objections raised by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), which had staged a walkout from the National Assembly session when the ordinance was promulgated.
Once the withdrawal has begun, the Federal Government has decided that the proposed amendments will be presented to Parliament in the form of a bill.
Sources from the Ministry of Justice reported that six bills and an ordinance had previously been sent to the Presidency through the Electronic Office system, through which summaries and files are approved electronically.
The presidency, through the same system, gave collective approval to the bills and the ordinance, after which the ordinance was issued.
However, when the Presidency returned the files, it was discovered that the Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Ordinance did not carry the President’s signature. Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar explained that the approval process is done through the e-office, where files are processed online.
He said the ordinance had also been approved through this system and was considered approved on a staff-to-staff basis.
However, when the signed records were later received, it became clear that the ordinance had not been signed by the president, even though it had already been printed and notified.
Tarar said the mistake was a mistake, which was later corrected.
