Senate body adopts civil courts bill
The committee adopted the Civil Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2025, as introduced by Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar, Minister for Law and Justice. The bill, which had already been passed by the National Assembly, aims to reduce the mounting burden of litigation on the appellate side of the Islamabad High Court.
The bill seeks to address the growing issue of pendency in the Islamabad High Court, which has been exacerbated by the rising property prices in the Islamabad territory.
As property valuations now exceed twenty-five hundred thousand rupees, a significant number of regular first appeals against civil court orders and decrees have increased the caseload.
Senator Tarar highlighted the necessity of having district courts entertain such matters, thereby reducing pressure on the appellate side of the Islamabad High Court.
The committee also addressed the issue of the delay in notifying the nomination of Senator Hamid Khan as a member of the Board of Governors of the Legal Aid and Justice Authority.
Chairman Senator Farooq Hamid Naek directed that the nomination be notified at the earliest and that the committee be updated on the progress.
The Senate body engaged in a detailed discussion regarding the 'Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2024', introduced by Senator Munzoor Ahmed and Danesh Kumar. The bill, which seeks to amend Article 51 of the Constitution, was debated with input from the Ministry.
The committee took note of the findings from the 2023 population census, which revealed that the Christian community is predominantly concentrated in Punjab, while the Hindu community is largely based in Sindh.
This geographical disparity could pose challenges if each province is designated as a single constituency for minority reserved seats.
The committee chairman advised further review of the bill based on population data and under the relevant legal framework. The movers of the bill requested additional time to consider amendments.
Similarly, the committee deliberated on the 'Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2024', introduced by Senator Khalida Ateeb. This bill was deferred due to the lack of support from the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the pending comments from other provincial governments.
The 'Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2024', moved by Senator Aon Abbas, which proposes the creation of a new province of South Punjab, was also deferred.
Additionally, the 'Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2024', introduced by Senator Muhammad Abdul Qadir, which proposes an amendment to Article 27 concerning quotas, was deferred for further review.
The committee chairman expressed the need to review previous judgments by the Supreme Court on the matter of time limits for quotas before proceeding.
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