Islamabad: The Standing Committee on Law and Justice held its 6th meeting under the chairmanship of Ch. Mahmood Bashir Virk, MNA, at the Parliament House in Islamabad. The session commenced at 2:00 A.M. with a recitation from the Holy Quran, followed by the approval of the minutes from the previous meeting.

According to National Assembly of Pakistan, the Committee focused on various legislative bills during the session. The Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2024 (Article 27), moved by Ms. Aliya Kamran, faced objections from the mover regarding its reconsideration. However, the Chairman overruled the objection, deferring the bill for further reconsideration while the mover submitted a dissent note.

The Committee deferred the National Accountability (Amendment) Bill, 2024, as per the Ministry’s request. In contrast, the Status of Women (Amendment) Bill, 2024, received unanimous support from the Committee, which recommended its passage by the National Assembly.

The Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2024 (Article 51 & 106), moved by Mr. Naveed Aamir Jeeva, was also discussed. The Committee noted that while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had expressed non-support, comments from other provinces were still pending. Consequently, the Committee deferred the bill and directed that letters be sent to all parliamentary leaders for their feedback.

Several other bills, including multiple Constitution (Amendment) Bills related to various articles, were not considered due to the unavailability of the movers or at their request. These included proposals by Mr. Noor Alam Khan, Mr. Asad Qaiser, Dr. Nafisa Shah, and Mr. Changaze Ahmad Khan.

The High Courts (Establishment) (Amendment) Bill, 2024, moved by Mr. Sohail Sultan, was disposed of after the mover informed the Committee that necessary notifications had already been issued by the Ministry.

Lastly, the Committee deferred Mr. Muhammad Jawed Hanif Khan’s Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2024 (Article 140-A), pending comments from parliamentary leaders.

The meeting was attended by several Hon. Members/MNAs, the Minister for Law and Justice, and the Secretary of the Ministry of Law and Justice, along with support staff.