ISLAMABAD: Senate on Monday passed four-private member bills; two bills each moved by treasury and opposition senators - while 12 new bills; 10 private-member and two government bills - were introduced in the upper house of the Parliament-all referred to relevant standing committees.
In its sitting, the Senate passed The Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils (Amendment) Bill 2021 and The National Commission on the Status of Women (Amendment) Bill 2020-both moved by Kamran Murtaza from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazal (JUI-F).
The House also passed Ibadat International University Islamabad Bill 2021, moved by Fawzia Arshad from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Islamabad Women University Islamabad Bill 2021, moved by Seemee Ezdi also from PTI.
Of these four bills, only Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils (Amendment) Bill 2021 has already been passed the National Assembly-which means that the bill now requires a ceremonial ascent from President Arif Alvi in order to become a law.
This bill deals with enhancing representation of members from districts groups in the Balochistan Bar Council.
The 10 bills introduced in the Senate and referred to the relevant standing committees were: China Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority (Amendment) Bill 2021, moved by Sherry Rehman, the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentary Leader in Senate; The Control of Narcotics Substances (Amendment) Bill 2021; The Criminal Laws (Amendment) Act 2021 (Omission of Section 325); The Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill 2021 (Section 510) and The Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill 2021 (Section 195), moved by Shahadat Awan from PPP, The Islamabad Capital Territory Prohibition of Corporal Punishment Bill 2021, jointly moved by Saadia Abbasi from Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and Walid Iqbal from PTI; The Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2021 (Article-25B), jointly moved by PML-N's Saadia Abbasi and Mushahid Hussain; The Trade Organisations (Amendment) Bill 2021, moved by PTI's Fawzia Arshad; The Transplant of Human Organs and Tissues (Amendment) Bill 2021, moved by PTI's Seemee Ezdi and The Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2021 (Article-63A) jointly moved by Dilawar Khan, Ahmed Khan, Hidayat Ullah, Kauda Babar and Naseebullah Bazai-all of them are independent senators and do not represent any political party.
Two government bills were introduced in Senate in the supplementary agenda, moved by State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan. These bills were; Pakistan Air Force Air War College Bill 2021 and Special Technology Zones Authority Bill, 2021. Both the bills were referred to the relevant standing committees.
In addition, two bills were referred to Parliament's joint session. They were: The Exit from Pakistan (Control) (Amendment) Bill 2019, moved by Raza Rabbani from PPP. This bill was passed by Senate but not passed by National Assembly within the stipulated time period.
The second bill referred to Parliament's joint session was The Maintenance and Welfare of Old Parents and Senior Citizens Bill 2020, moved by Rana Maqbool from PML-N. This bill was also passed by Senate but not by National Assembly within the stipulated time period. Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani presided over the Senate sitting. The House would meet again on Wednesday.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021