Bill to enforce law on ‘biological, toxins weapons’ okayed

ISLAMABAD: In a significant legislative milestone, the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, unanimously approved ‘The Biological and Toxins Weapons Convention (Implementation) Bill,’ which marks a crucial step towards aligning Pakistan’s national laws with international obligations under the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).

The meeting of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs was held with the chair of its Chairman Senator Irfan Siddiqui was held on Monday and was attended by senators Sherry Rehman, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, Rana Mahmood Hassan, and Rubina Qaim Khani, along with Special Representative for Afghanistan, Ambassador Sadiq Khan, the secretary Foreign Affairs, and other senior ministry officials.

The Senate committee was briefed that the bill, pending for decades, was passed by the National Assembly on January 23, 2025, followingits approval by the Cabinet Committee for Disposal of Legislative Cases (CCLC) in November 2024.

The bill mandates the establishment of a national mechanism to ensure compliance with the BWC, prevent the creation, manufacture, and movement of toxins for biological weapons within Pakistan, and implement monitoring systems to fulfill treaty obligations. The committee was informed that additional financial or human resources are required under the bill.

Senator Sherry Rehman raised concerns regarding the undefined structure of the proposed Central Authority that will oversee BWC compliance. She emphasized the need to determine its composition prior to the bill’s passage and emphasized the inclusion of provincial governments on the subject. However, to avoid further delay in the long-pending legislation, the amendment was formally incorporated before unanimous passage.

An in-camera session was held to assess Pakistan’s diplomatic engagement with Afghanistan amid recent regional developments.

Special Representative for Afghanistan, Ambassador Sadiq Khan briefed the committee and responded to wide-ranging questions. The committee was informed of ongoing active engagement with Afghan counterparts, and expressed optimism about future bilateral improvements. The recent tragic incident involving killing of 8 Pakistanis in Iran was also reviewed.

Meanwhile, in media talk after the meeting of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Irfan Siddiqui said that Special Representative for Afghanistan Sadiq Khan briefed the committee and said that high-level visits are being planned in the near future.