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ISLAMABAD, Sep 04 (APP):The Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice on Thursday deferred the decisions on various legislative bills after discussion related to CSS quota for Balochistan, strengthening justice, equality and women’s rights in Pakistan.
The senate body met here under chair of Senator Farooq Hamid Naek at Parliament House to deliberate on crucial constitutional and legal amendments.
During meeting, committee chairman Farooq H. Naek suggested that the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2025 (Amendment of Article 27), seeking to increase the CSS quota for students of Balochistan be withdrawn in light of Supreme Court judgment and a proviso tabled by the Ministry for changes in the civil services laws and rules. He suggested, changes in civil service laws and rules should be channeled through an Act of Parliament rather than amending the Constitution as a faster track.
Senator Abdul Qadir acknowledged the guidance but requested time to study the judgments before withdrawing the bill. The matter was deferred to the next meeting.
The Committee held extensive deliberations on the Pakistan Penal Code (Amendment) Bill, 2025 (Sections 323, 330, and 331), introduced by Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri. The amendment aims to secure justice for victims of accidental killings and their legal heirs.
Members praised Senator Zehri’s intent. The committee emphasizing that, no law shall be made outside the teachings of the Holy Quran. Further saying that equality must be ensured for both the convicted and the heirs of the deceased, particularly in cases of unintentional killings also where financial limitations exist.
The Ministry of Law informed the Committee that the Council of Islamic Ideology’s (CII) views are awaited. Chairman Naek observed that the prescribed entity of Diyyah that is silver remains unchanged, subsequently not requiring mandatory the comments of CII, however urging a study on whether adjustments should be made to reflect inflation and the value of human life, fulfilling the intent of the amendment to give greater benefit to the heirs of the deceased. He said that the responsibility of the state must be clearly defined to uphold justice, equality, and the sanctity of life.
The matter was deferred till the next meeting wherein the Ministry was directed to address the queries and present a comprehensive briefing.
The Committee also considered two Constitution (Amendment) Bills, 2025, introduced by Senator Zeeshan Khan Zada, seeking amendments to Articles 228 and 153 for increased women’s representation in the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) and the Council of Common Interests (CCI).
Chairman Naek strongly endorsed the principle of gender inclusion, stating that the Council of Islamic Ideology must benefit from women’s theological wisdom and input. Out of 20 members, at least three should mandatorily be women to maintain balance.
The Ministry, however, clarified that current membership criteria are not gender-specific, but acknowledged that fixed representation could be mandated through law. The Committee recommended referring the matter to the Prime Minister, who chairs the Council, and also sought CII’s formal input. The discussion was deferred.
The Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2024, introduced by Senator Aon Abbas, was deferred with the direction to Provinces of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh to submit comments within one month wherein comments from province of Balochistan have already been recovered. Two other agenda items were also deferred due to the absence of movers.