Leaders of opposition to be added to national security committee

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Committee on Law and Justice unanimously passed the ‘National Security Council (Amendment) Bill 2023‘ that seeks to include leader of the opposition in the Senate beside leader of opposition in the National Assembly in the Parliamentary Committee on National Security.

The National Security Council (Amendment) Bill 2023 was introduced by Senator Shahadat Awan in the Senate in its sitting held on November 6, 2023. A meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice was held with Senator Syed Ali Zafar in the chair here at the Parliament Lodges. Similarly, ‘The Service Tribunals (Amendment) Bill 2024’ (Amendment of Section 3), introduced by Senator Awan on January 15 was also passed giving powers to the Chief Justice of Pakistan in appointments of the chairman and members of the service tribunal. However after deliberation, ‘The Service Tribunals (Amendment) Bill 2024’ (Amendment of Section 4), and ‘the General Clauses (Amendment) Bill 2024’, were withdrawn by mover Senator Awan.

Furthermore ‘The Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2023’, (Amendment of Article 84), introduced by Senator Sania Nishtar in the Senate sitting held on August 7, 2023, was deferred by the committee chairman for further deliberation.

Dr Nishter expressed displeasure on the amendments proposed by the ministry specifically in terms of its language stating that fundamental change has been made in the language which distorts the spirit of the amendment. She said that such control of the executive is undemocratic and uncalled for. The bill was deferred for further deliberation.

Similarly, both the bills on allocation of seats for the non-Muslims from each province through ‘the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2024’ (Amendment of Article 51), introduced by Senator Kauda Babar, Senator Manzoor Ahmed, Senator Naseebullah Bazai, Senator Sana Jamali and Senator Danesh Kumar, and the enhancement of seats in the provincial assembly for Balochistan through ‘the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2024’ (Amendment of Article 106), introduced by senators Babar, Ahmed, Bazai, Jamali and Kumar, in the Senate in its sitting held on January 1 was also deferred.