Latest news with #Constitution(Amendment)Bill
Business Recorder
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Proposed amendment on LGs: NA Secretariat asked to issue reminder to all parliamentary party leaders
ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary body on Tuesday directed the National Assembly Secretariat to issue a reminder to all parliamentary party leaders to submit their opinion on the proposed constitutional amendment aimed at strengthening local governments. The Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice, which met with MNA Chaudhry Mahmood Bashir Virk in the chair, discussed 'The Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2025' (Article 140-A) moved by MNA Muhammad Jawed Hanif Khan, seeking to make local government institutions more viable and effective in line with the aspirations of the people of Pakistan. The parliamentary body observed that, in compliance with its previous directions, letters were issued to the provincial governments as well as to the parliamentary leaders of all political parties, seeking their views regarding the proposed amendment in Article 140-A. However, the committee has so far not received a response of any parliamentary leader in this regard. The committee directed the secretariat to issue a reminder to all parliamentary leaders to submit their opinions as soon as possible to proceed further in the matter. The meeting also considered 'The Qanun-e-Shahadat (Amendment) Bill, 2025' moved by MNA Shazia Marri. During detailed deliberations, the mover informed the committee that, in light of the discussions held during the previous meeting, the proposed bill had been redrafted. The revised draft of the bill was placed before the parliamentary body for consideration, she said. The members of the committee observed that, since the bill now contained substantive amendments, it was not feasible to deliberate upon the revised draft without prior examination. Therefore, the committee decided to defer consideration of the bill till its next meeting to allow members sufficient time for a thorough review. The committee also considered the 'Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2024' (Article 25) moved by MNA Nafeesa Shah and 'The Code of Civil Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2024' (Section 54-A) moved by MNA Sofia Saeed Shah but due to the non-availability of the movers, the committee decided to defer consideration of both bills to its next meeting, with the observation that no further deferment shall be granted. The committee decided that, in case of continued absence of the movers, the bills shall be taken up and decided upon in absentia. MNAs Zahra Wadood Fatemi, Kiran Haider, Syed Ibrar Ali Shah, Syed Naveed Qamar, Syed Hafeezuddin, Hassan Sabir, Ali Muhammad Khan, Umair Khan Niazi, Changaze Ahmec Khan, Sardar Muhammad Latif Khan Khosa, Aliya Kamran, Shazia Marri, Jawed Hanif Khan, and senior officials of Ministry of Law and Justice attended the meeting. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Senate body adopts civil courts bill
The Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice on Wednesday adopted the Civil Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2025. The law committee convened under the chairmanship of Senator Farooq Hamid Naek to review and discuss several key legislative bills. 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.
