Private members’ bills must be approved or rejected within 3 meetings: NA panel

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior Tuesday decided that all private members’ bills referred to it must be either approved or rejected within three meetings.

The committee, chaired by MNA Raja Khurram Shahzad Nawaz, also ruled that if the mover of a bill fails to attend three consecutive meetings, the bill will automatically be considered rejected.

Expressing concern over members’ absence, the chairman said that several bills were pending because their movers did not attend the proceedings. He noted that some bills had also been referred to the committee directly by the Speaker of the National Assembly.

Nawaz revealed that around 20 bills are currently awaiting the committee’s decision. He informed the meeting that Sharmila Faruqi’s proposed laws — The Corrosive Substances Assault (Prevention and Protection) Bill, 2024, and The Islamabad Capital Territory Dowry Restraint Bill, 2025 — had been deferred for the time being. A final decision on these and other pending bills will be taken in the next meeting, he added.

The committee also took up the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2025, a government bill proposing the inclusion of business community representatives in Union Councils (UCs) to enhance their role in local governance. The members directed the concerned officials to present a detailed briefing on the overall composition of UCs — including the total number of seats, election methods, and the specific role of business representatives — in the next meeting. The committee further instructed that a complete draft of the bill be circulated among all members for review.

The parliamentary body directed that a detailed briefing be provided in the next meeting regarding the overall composition of UCS, including the total number of seats, the method of election, and the specific role of business community members. It was further directed that a complete draft of the bill be circulated among all committee members for further consideration. The Committee also decided that the Capital Development Authority (CDA), along with a representative of the Law Division, would brief the committee in detail in the next meeting.

The committee also discussed “The Capital Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2025 (Section 51)” moved by MNA Shazia Marri, The CDA officials informed that the provisions regarding accessibility and facilities for disabled persons were already incorporated in the CDA Building By-Laws (Amendment), 2023, under Section 4.1.16. These provisions include mandatory requirements for washrooms and lifts for disabled persons in all new building plans.

The committee observed that if such provisions already existed in the by-laws, the proposed amendment might be redundant. However, some members pointed out that while these requirements exist in building codes, they have not yet been incorporated into substantive law. After a detailed discussion, the committee directed the Interior Ministry and CDA to ensure proper implementation of the existing by-laws. It was further directed that buildings lacking the required accessibility facilities should be given a fixed timeframe to comply, failing which penalties may be imposed. The committee disposed of the Bill with these directions.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025