A Senate panel on Monday discussed and approved the Islamabad Capital Territory Trust Bill 2020. The approval, however, came with the caveat that the government will take into consideration amendments to the bill within 30 days of its passage.
This was decided during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior which met at the Parliament House on Monday. The committee was chaired by Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Senator Rehman Malik.
During the meeting of the panel, the Islamabad Capital Territory Trust Bill 2020, among other bills were discussed in detail.
Having been introduced by Federal Interior Minister Ijaz Shah, the secretary of the ministry briefed the committee about the bill. He said that the proposed law aims to enhance the effectiveness of and implementation of orders passed by the federal government. Further, it will cater to the effective administration, financial monitoring and evaluation of trusts within the territorial limits of Islamabad.
Furthermore, the facilities required for meeting the necessary expenses through exemptions were also required to be incorporated in detail.
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Senator Farooq Naek contended that there was a need to specify sections of the bill where the Anti-money Laundering Act 2010, shall be applicable.
At this, Committee Chairman Senator Malik invited Senator Naek and other members of the committee to present their proposed amendments to the bill, if any. He also offered that the bill can be finalised after the presentation of the proposed amendments.
However, a majority of the committee members suggested that the bill should be passed on the presentation of an undertaking by the Narcotics Control Minister Senator Azam Swati, that the amendments shall be taken into consideration within 30 days of its passage.
Senator Naek also expressed his satisfaction at the proposal.
Thereafter, Senator Malik put the bill up for a vote and all committee members present in the meeting voted in favour of the bill except for Senator Naek who abstained. The committee subsequently recommended that the bill should be introduced in the House and may be passed by the Senate.
Narcotics law
In a separate meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Narcotics Control, approved the Control of Narcotic Substances (Amendment) Act 2020, which calls for an amendment to Section 12(c), adding the words, ‘or by employing and other means of concealment’.
The meeting of the panel held under the chairmanship of Senator Sardar Shafiq Tareen at the Parliament House on Monday.
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The committee observed that while the legislation is time-barred, there is a need for due diligence for which bills must be transmitted to the Senate from the National Assembly ahead of time.
The committee further recommended that families of martyred officers and officials of the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) should be given relief packages on the lines of those provided to the police.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 18th, 2020.
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