Senate session underway to take up 27th Constitutional Amendment bill

Islamabad: The Senate session is underway in the Parliament House, with a busy legislative agenda scheduled for consideration.

The highlight of the session will be the presentation of the report of the Standing Committee on Law and Justice regarding the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill.

Committee Chairman Senator Farooq H. Naek will present the report before the House. Following this, the Minister for Law is expected to move the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill for immediate consideration and approval.

A range of other legislative items are also on the agenda. Senator Anusha Rahman will table the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (Amendment) Bill, while Senator Sarmad Ali will present the bill for the establishment of the Islamabad Metro Bus. Senator Kamran Murtaza is set to introduce a bill for the creation of the Pakistan Psychological Council.

Additionally, Senator Muhammad Abdul Qadir will present an amendment bill to the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation Act, and Senator Sherry Rehman will move a bill seeking to ban the use of plastic covers on books in Islamabad. The House will also consider an amendment to the Securities and Exchange Commission Act.

Meanwhile, the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Law and Justice—comprising members of both the Senate and National Assembly—yesterday approved the full draft of the proposed constitutional amendment, endorsing 49 clause-by-clause amendments.

Among the key changes, the committee agreed to extend the period for deciding pending cases from six months to one year. It was also decided that if a case is not pursued within a year, it will be considered disposed of.

However, the proceedings were marked by an opposition boycott, as members of PTI, JUI, PKMAP, and MWM did not attend the committee meeting