Relationship between Rule of Law and Parliamentary Oversight: A Case-Study of the 15th National Assembly of Pakistan (2018-2023)

Abstract

The significance of a truly empowered sovereign legislature can be sensed while considering the fact that the first and foremost factor as prescribed by the Index of the Rule of Law formulated by the World Justice Project is whether or not the government powers in any country are effectively limited by the legislature which must have the ability in practice to exercise effective checks on and oversight of the government. Moving further, the said Index, inter alia, also provides that the administrative regulations, drafts of legislation, and high court decisions are made accessible to the public in a timely manner. Contrary to this, majority of the contemporary legislatures either willingly avoid considering popular will while formulating public policy or the presence of very strong executive over them hinder their capacity to work in the prescribed manner. The case of Pakistan has not been an exception where the removal of Prime Minister Khawaja Nazimuddin in 1953 by the then executive head of the state set such pattern which continued throughout the history and almost all the civilian Prime Ministers of Pakistan, with the exception of Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, could not complete their term in office testifying that the sovereignty of the legislature has remained only a fairy tale for this country. Considering this background, the current study focuses on the performance of the 15th National Assembly of Pakistan (2018-2023) to understand how deeply it ensured its functioning to strengthen Rule of Law in the country. While reviewing the proceedings, the study finds that following the pattern set by its predecessors, the 15th National Assembly also ignored the essence of parliamentary spirit in various legislative domains hence it recommends that the National Assembly must undertake reforms to improve governance, enhance transparency, and foster meaningful public engagement to restore its effectiveness and public trust.