Senate panel approves bill to address discrepancy in PKT legal definition
ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat unanimously approved the Standard Time (Interpretation of References) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, aimed at correcting a long-standing discrepancy in the legal definition of Pakistan Standard Time (PKT).
The committee meeting was held at Parliament House on Wednesday with Senator Rana Mahmood-ul-Hassan in the chair.
During consideration of the bill, officials informed the committee that Pakistan Standard Time (PST) was historically referenced as five hours and 30 minutes ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), reflecting pre-Partition calculations, whereas the actual time difference is five hours. The committee appreciated the proposed correction, expressed concern over the delay in addressing the inconsistency, and unanimously passed the bill.
Earlier, the committee took up the Government Bill titled The Civil Servants (Amendment) Bill, 2026. The Secretary, Establishment Division, briefed members that under the existing legal framework, the Prime Minister and the Federal Cabinet are empowered to take several decisions relating to federal government employees, including routine administrative matters. He proposed that such authority could be delegated to the relevant Federal Secretary or other competent authority to improve efficiency and reduce procedural delays, while maintaining required concurrence from the Finance Division where applicable.
The Secretary also briefed the committee on procedures governing international deputation of federal employees. The committee recommended that such cases be approved by two tiers of authority: the concerned department and the Prime Minister. Senator Muhammad Abdul Qadir observed that routing every case through the Federal Cabinet causes unnecessary delay and should be avoided. After detailed deliberations, the committee deferred the bill until its next meeting to allow incorporation of proposed amendments.
The committee was further briefed on the financial and operational structure of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Officials informed members that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) generates revenue from broadcasting rights, sponsorships, and gate receipts, of which 95 percent is distributed among franchises, while 5 percent is retained by the PCB. Franchise owners bear operational costs including accommodation, logistics, and player-related expenses.
Senator Saadia Abbasi sought details regarding the appointment process of the PCB Chairman and the Board of Governors. Officials stated that the Board currently comprises eleven members, from among whom the Chairman is elected through voting. It was further informed that there is currently no female representation on the Board.
The committee recommended that at least one female member be included in the PCB Board of Governors and that all provinces, including Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, be represented in its composition.
The committee was also informed about the Pakistan Cricket Board’s plan to renovate the Karachi Stadium at an estimated cost of Rs4.8 billion, with tenders expected to be floated shortly. In response to a query from the Chairman of the committee, officials said that the cost of constructing a modern international-standard stadium currently ranges between Rs12 billion and Rs14 billion.
The meeting was attended by Senators Saleem Mandviwalla, Saadia Abbasi, and Muhammad Abdul Qadir, while Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti participated via Zoom.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026