Banking Cos and Deposit Protection Corp: Caretakers ‘manage’ to move two bills in Senate

ISLAMABAD: In an unprecedented move, the caretaker government has finally managed to move two bills in the upper house of Parliament — the Banking Companies (Amendment) Bill 2023 and the Deposit Protection Corporation (Amendment) Bill 2023 — despite strong opposition from the lawmakers who have questioned the authority of the caretakers to resort to parliamentary business.

In the house meeting, Monday, Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani allowed Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi to move the two bills that were then referred to the relevant standing committees.

Previously, the caretakers could not succeed to move the bills in the house due to strong opposition from the lawmakers from various political parties.

Meanwhile, the Senate recommended the award of “severe punishment for all those found involved in negative and malicious propaganda against the armed forces and other security agencies of Pakistan.”

The house, through a resolution, expressed “deep concern on the negative and malicious propaganda against the armed forces and other security agencies on various social media platforms.”

Behramand Tangi from Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) presented the resolution that was passed by the house.

The previous draft of the resolution recommended 10-year disqualification from holding any public office for anyone involved in “malicious” propaganda against the armed forces.

Tangi, however, said that he amended the resolution to omit the 10-year disqualification part.

The house passed another resolution moved by Samina Mumtaz Zehri from Balochistan Awami Party (BAP).

Through the resolution, the house called upon the federal government to take immediate steps to cater to the needs of all students with diverse cultural backgrounds and to reform the higher education curriculum to apprise students of the consequences and risks of drug usage.

Meanwhile, different private bills were moved in the house and referred to the relevant Senate standing committees. They included: The Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Bill 2023, Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill 2023, Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2024, Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (Amendment) Bill 2023, Fatal Accidents (Amendment) Bill 2023, National Excellence Institute Bill 2024, Prevention and Control of Human Trafficking (Amendment) Bill 2023, Civil Servants (Amendment) Bill 2023, Guardians and Wards (Amendment) Bill 2023, Service Tribunals (Amendment) Bill 2023, General Clauses (Amendment) Bill 2023, Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill 2023, Pakistan Commissions of Inquiry (Amendment) Bill 2023, Islamabad Capital Territory Watersides Safety Bill 2023, Higher Education Commission (Amendment) Bill 2023 and Pakistan Nursing Council (Amendment) Bill 2023.

The house was adjourned till Tuesday (Jan 2).

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024