Daily Times

The National Assembly on Thursday passed two bills and witnessed introduction of six private members’ bills which were referred to the relevant committees for further consideration.

Moved by an Independent Lawmaker Muhammad Aslam Bhootani, the House passed the Pakistan Institute of Research and Registration of Quality Assurance Bill, 2022.

This bill aims at providing a charter for the establishment of Pakistan Institute of Research and Registration of Quality Assurance at Gwadar, as resolved by Provincial Assembly of Balochistan through a resolution on October 27, 2022.

The bill proposes to regulate its faculties, staff, and students with enabling environment and infrastructure to help them develop potential for scholarship, creative work, professional realization, and service.

It will be the first private-sector institute of higher education in Balochistan province and since the province does not have a provincial commission of higher education and is still following federal HEC, federal charter is being sought for the Institute. The House also passed the Members of Parliament Immunities and Privileges Bill, 2023 which was jointly sponsored by PPPP MNAs including Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah, Khursheed Ahmed Junejo, Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur and Ms. Shagufta Jumani.

This bill aims at facilitating the parliamentarians in exceptional circumstances to perform their constitutional duty without any hindrance and preventing the arrest of any member under any law pertaining to preventive detention.

It proposes that no member shall be detained under any law pertaining to preventive detention once the session is summoned by the President or the Chairman or Speaker.

It states that when an FIR is registered or reference is filed, against a member, the Chairman or Speaker, as the case may be, shall be informed and copy of the FIR or Reference, as the case may be, shall be provided within twenty-four hours of such registration or filing.

The House witnessed introduction of six private members’ bills in the House which included the Muslim Family Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023; the Control of Narcotics Substances (Amendment) Bill, 2023; the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) (Amendment) Bill, 2023; the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2023 (Amendment in Article- 140); the National Refugee Bill, 2023 and the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Bill, 2023.

The House deferred 11 private members’ bills which were the Islamabad Capital Territory State Counsel Remuneration Bill, 2023; the Chairman and Speaker (Salaries, Allowances and Privileges) (Amendment) Bill, 2023; the Drugs (Amendment) Bill, 2023; the Pakistan Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2023; the ICT Criminal Prosecution Service Bill, 2023; the Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils (Amendment) Bill, 2023; the Pakistan Penal Code (Amendment) Bill, 2023; the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2023] (Amendment in Article- 51, 59 and 106); the Metropolitan International Institute of Science and Technology Bill, 2023; the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2020 and the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020.

Most of the bills (eight bills) were deferred on the request of movers who were absent at the time of taking up of these bills.

A bill – the Islamabad Capital Territory State Counsel Remuneration Bill, 2023 – was deferred on the request of State Minister for Law and Justice Shahadat Awan.

He suggested the mover Ms. Asiya Azeem to further review the bill and table it later to which the mover agreed.

However, two bills were such which were deferred after the mover lacked knowledge about them.

Deputy Speaker, Zahid Akram Durrani while chairing the sitting asked to be well-prepared before tabling any of the bills as it has to be explained before the other members.