Senate standing committee approves societies registration, coast guards bills

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control (SSCI&NC) passed the Societies Registration (Amendment) Bill, 2025. The bill aims that Deeni Madaris which have been registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and it was proposed in the bill that those Madaris and Wafaqs already registered or desirous to get registered directly with the Directorate General of Religious Education, Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, shall be reckoned to have been registered.

The Senate Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control, chaired by Senator Faisal Saleem Rehman, met at Parliament House to discuss key legislative matters, government funding issues, and civic irregularities in Islamabad.

The Committee rejected the private member bill of Senator Moshin, Control of Narcotics Substances (Amend) Bill on the drug testing in educational institutions.

The Pakistan Coast Guards (Amend) Bill, 2025, moved by Law Minister Senator Azam Nazir Tarar, proposing the authorisation of the force’s law officers as public prosecutors, prompted the Committee to note the need for rule clarification regarding the government’s role in appointing the special public prosecutor.

Several other bills were not endorsed, including Senator Mohsin Aziz’s Control of Narcotics Substances (Amendment) Bill, which was rejected due to a lack of support from the Ministry of Education, the Higher Education Commission, the Ministry of Health, Law and Justice, Anti-Narcotics Force, and the concerned governments.

Senator Mohsin Aziz presented a bill on drug prevention in educational institutions, proposing a tiered disciplinary approach for students testing positive—warning, 15-day suspension, and fine—while Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) officials countered that the focus should be on drug sellers, not student victims.

Officials further said that scanning has been completed in 80 per cent of educational institutions; however, conducting drug tests on children does not fall under the purview of ANF.

Senator Shahadat Awan objected to the bill and said that this law is tantamount to interference in provincial powers, while the Law Ministry also took the position that this matter should be entrusted to the Education Department instead of the ANF. Senator Irfan Siddiqui clarified that neither any provincial government, nor educational institutions, nor the Ministry of Education are supporting this bill. Senator Moshin Aziz underscored the rising drug use, estimated to affect nearly 30 per cent of the population. After a thorough discussion, the Committee found the bill unfeasible.

The Price Control and Prevention of Profiteering and Hoarding (Amendment) Bill, 2024, also moved by Senator Aziz, was discussed with concerns on the need for a bill to control hoarding in Islamabad, and the Committee voted against the bill and decided not to take it forward.

Senator Palwasha Muhammad Zai Khan withdrew both the Shamilat Land Protection Bill, 2024, and the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

The National Occupational Health and Safety Bill, 2023, moved by Senator Zarqa Suhrawardy, and the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2024, moved by Senator Fawzia Arshad, were dropped due to the non-appearance of the movers.

The Chairman CDA briefed the Committee on the Parliament building’s repair and maintenance plan, prepared in consultation with the National Assembly and Senate Secretariat, with a cost-sharing ratio of 67 and 33 per cent. Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry flagged delays in funding and subpar work quality. The Committee recommended implementing the plan in one go and called for streamlined financing.

On civic issues, the Committee was informed that Islamabad currently has 221 guest houses, with 27 sealed, 112 under litigation in the Islamabad High Court, 86 in the Supreme Court, and 194 operating under stay orders. Senator Shahadat Awan raised concerns about unauthorised conversions of residential properties.

Senator Faisal Saleem Rehman noted ongoing construction despite court cases and highlighted encroachments onto CDA greenbelts. He directed the CDA to present a progress report and asked for a review of all previous recommendations in the next meeting.

Among those present were Senators Shahadat Awan, Palwasha Muhammad Zai Khan, Umer Farooq, Irfanul Haque Siddiqui, Mohsin Aziz, Jam Saifullah Khan, Minister of State Talal Chaudhry, and senior officials.