Senate panel passes key bills, seeks security for parliamentarians

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Tuesday decided to summon the chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) after receiving a unsatisfactory explanation over the deployment of Punjab Rangers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to Rs200 billion shortfall in revenue.

The committee also took up the murder of Senator Saifullah Abro’s brother and nephew and gave the authorities a final 40-day deadline to show concrete progress in investigation, cautioning that failure to do so would invite a strict action.

Chaired by Senator Faisal Saleem Rehman, the committee discussed the key bills and increasing life threats to parliamentarians.

The committee took up the issue of deployment of Rangers at the tobacco processing units in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Officials apprised the committee that the Rangers had been deployed at the request of chairman FBR due to an existing shortfall of Rs200 billion in revenue.

The committee decided to summon chairman FBR in the upcoming meeting to deliberate on the issue.

Senator Faisal Saleem said there hadn’t been a single incident in all these years and it was ironic that the Rangers had only been deployed at the tobacco processing units owned by the locals, not by the foreign companies.

He observed that the FBR had engaged the Punjab Rangers for the recovery of Rs200 billion in taxes, warning that if the target was not achieved, responsibility could be shifted to the paramilitary force.

Minister of State for Interior Senator Talal Chaudhry informed the committee that the Rangers were deployed on FBR’s request. He added that the reasons for this move should be sought directly from the FBR chairman. The committee decided to call upon the chairman FBR in the upcoming meeting to deliberate on the issue. The committee expressed its serious concern over the alleged consumption of donkey meat in Islamabad.

The Food Department officials explained that the genes of meat could not be identified without a PCR test and such a test costs around Rs20,000 and its results could take a week. They further said the food department lacked the latest equipment and even a mobile van.

The committee decided to conduct an exclusive session on the matter in the upcoming meeting.

The committee passed a Bill titled, “The Provincial Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2025.”

Senator Sarmad Ali, mover of the bill, said the bill aimed to regulate the various private services currently operating in the country, as these ride-sharing services were not being regulated under any law in Pakistan.

The committee also passed two key bills namely, “The Capital Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2025” and “The Federal Prosecution Service Tribunal (Amendment) Bill, 2025.”

The Capital Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2025” deals with compensation to the affected people and introduces the option of land sharing as a compensation mode for both future and past acquisitions.

Moreover, The Federal Prosecution Service Tribunal (Amendment) Bill, 2025 aims to extend the jurisdiction of the Bill to all the Federal Courts existing in the country.