In what will prove to be the National Assembly’s last session before its term expires, the lower house shattered records for legislation in a particular period of time.

In the ongoing session, the assembly approved 54 bills. There were seven bills tabled and passed on Wednesday alone.

The number was infalted by the passage of 35 bills related to the establishing of universities across the country. Education Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain did not seem to have a say in matters that concerned his jurisdiction.

However, there were plenty of bills that were hurried through the house that will prove consequential. The government’s attitude also invited accusations that the legislature was being treated as a ‘rubber stamp’ parliament.

The bills included the Press Council of Pakistan amendments bill, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority amendments bill that were passed through the house.

Also included were Court Procedures Bill prsented by Maulana Akbar Chitrali, Gas (Theft Control and Recovery) (Amendment) bill presented by Murtaza Javed Abbasi, Zakat and Ushr (Amendment) Bill and Apostille Bill presented by Shazia Marri.

However, major uproar was caused as the Assembly pushed through bills proposing amendments to the Army Act and the Official Secrets Act. The first bill extended the definition of the offences that could be penalised under the Army Act and was approved without discussion. The second bill gave intelligence agencies sweeping powers to search and detain people without declaring the cause.

The house consists mainly of government members with a nominal number of opposition members since members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf resigned. Any furor over bills, if it does come, has came from one or more parties in the ruling coalition.