ISLAMABAD: The Upper House of the Parliament on Friday passed the Civil Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which provides that the appeals against the orders of the civil courts would only go to district courts — while the last day of the 350th Senate session was marked with apparent disinterest of lawmakers amidst the absence of Senate leadership — before the House was prorogued.
In the absence of chairman and deputy chairman Senate, Irfan Siddiqui from Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) presided over the Senate session.
Following the absence of Law Minister Azam Tarar, Climate Change State Minister Shezra Mansab presented the Civil Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which received criticism from the Opposition Leader in Senate Shibli Faraz.
“The state minister does not know, at all, what this bill is all about. It would have been better had the law minister been here to present this bill,” he said.
The bill was finally presented in and passed by the House.
Already passed by the National Assembly, the bill now seeks President Asif Ali Zardari’s ascent to become a law.
According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Civil Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2025, the prices of the properties are ostensibly high in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), and valuation of most of the regular first appeals, against orders / decrees of civil courts, is more than 25,000 rupees due to which pendency on appellate side of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has increased manifolds.
Under Section 18(1)(a) of the West Pakistan Civil Courts Ordinance, 1962, the IHC has pecuniary, appellate jurisdiction exceeding Rs 2.5 million.
“By virtue of the Punjab Civil Courts (Amendment) Act, 2016, the Lahore High Court has already enhanced its appellate, pecuniary jurisdiction from 2.5 million rupees to 50 million rupees. However, pecuniary, appellate jurisdiction of Islamabad High Court remained the same i,e. 2.5 million rupees. In order to decrease burden of litigation on appellate side of Islamabad High Court, there is need to make district courts the forum to entertain appeals arising out from decrees or orders of civil judges,” says the Statement of Objects and Reasons of this bill.
New bills; Civil Servants (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Pakistan Navy (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Extradition (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Pakistan Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and Anti-Dumping Duties (Amendment) Bill, 2025 were moved in the House and referred to relevant standing committees.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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