Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology approved 'The Pakistan Council of Science and Technology Bill, 2016' with some amendments on Friday. The committee met with Senator Osman Saifullah Khan in the chair where the ministry briefed the body regarding 'The COMSATS University Islamabad Bill, 2017' and said that the proposed bill is necessary to upgrade the COMSATS Institute of Information Technology as COMSATS University.
The committee said that it is an important bill and it will be discussed in detail in the next meeting. The committee constituted a sub-committee and directed for inquiry into the amendments in 'The COMSATS University Islamabad Bill, 2017' from the Law and Justice Division.
Federal Minister for Science and Technology Rana Tanveer Hussain said that in consultation with all stakeholders, the COMSATS University Islamabad Bill, 2017 has been prepared and if the committee proposes some amendments, they would be accommodated. The bill was sent to the Law Ministry for approval, but the amendments made in the bill were not in his knowledge, the minister added.
He further said that the officials of the Ministry of Science and Technology named by the Law Ministry for making amendments in the Bill have refused to accept it. An inquiry into the matter is under way which would also be presented before the committee, he added.
A sub-committee with Sardar Fateh Mohammad Mohammad Hassni has been constituted to prepare a detailed report of the matter and present it before the sub-committee so that responsibility could be fixed.
The Ministry of Science and Technology apprised the committee of the background of 'The Pakistan Council of Science and Technology Bill, 2016.' The chairman of the committee had earlier raised the question of overlapping in the functions of Pakistan Council of Science and Technology (PCST) and Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF), and proposed the merger of the both. The minister was of the view that the functions of the PCST and PSF are different. However, the chairman asked for a combined presentation from the PSCT and PSF over the roles of both the institutions. The bill was later approved with some amendments. The committee recommended for induction of one member each from Senate and National Assembly as well as one scientist each from all 4 provinces and federal capital in the Board of Governors of Pakistan Council of Science and Technology (PCST). There would be a total of 27 members in the Board.
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