ISLAMABAD: Senate passed three private member bills on Monday including The Islamabad High Court (Amendment) Bill, 2020, which paves way for the elevation of the "lawyers registered with the Islamabad Bar Council and Islamabad High Court Bar Association as well as the judges of the lower judiciary" as Islamabad High Court judges (IHC).
During Senate session presided over by Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, Barrister Javed Abbasi from Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMl-N) presented The Islamabad High Court (Amendment) Bill, 2020, which was passed by the Upper House of the Parliament.
The bill had landed in the Senate on July 27, 2020, and was referred to the relevant Senate standing committee, which passed the bill, following which the bill was presented in Senate.
According to the bill, since the establishment of the High Courts in Pakistan, the practice for the appointment and elevation of the judges of the High Courts of provinces is that the lawyers registered with the provincial bar councils, High Courts bar associations and the judges of the lower judiciary of the respective provinces are considered for such appointments and elevation.
"But due to Section 3 of the Islamabad High Court Act, 2010, the lawyers registered with the Islamabad Bar Council and Islamabad High Court Bar Association as well as the judges of the lower judiciary hardly get a chance to be appointed or elevated as the judge of the Islamabad High Court which is against the principle of legitimate expectancy and the practice being followed in all other High Courts.
Therefore, this Bill seeks to address this anomaly," the bill reads. Section 3 (1) of Islamabad High Court Act, 2010, reads, "The Islamabad High Courts shall consist of a Chief justice and six other judges to be appointed from the provinces and other territories of Pakistan in accordance with the Constitution."
The Islamabad High Court (Amendment) Bill, 2020, seeks to omit the words "from the provinces and other territories of Pakistan" from Section 3 (1) of Islamabad High Court Act, 2010. The other two bills passed by Senate on Monday included The Provincial Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2020, moved by Faisal Javed Khan from the ruling party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and The Unani, Ayurvedic and Homoeopathic Practitioners (Amendment) Bill, 2019, moved by Professor Dr Mehr Taj Roghani, also from PTI.
The Provincial Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2020, imposes penalties up to Rs 3,000 for vehicle drivers who fail to give "clear and uninterrupted passage to any ambulance or fire brigade vehicle with warning devices sounding or warning lights activated," with necessary amendments in Provincial Motor Vehicles Ordinance, 1965.
The bill is extended to Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). The bill was laid in Senate on June 8, 2020, and was referred to the relevant Senate standing committee before it was cleared by the committee.
The Unani, Ayurvedic and Homoeopathic Practitioners (Amendment) Bill, 2019, enhances the minimum qualification from matriculation to intermediate for admission in a recognized institution of homeopathy by amending Unani, Ayurvedic and Homoeopathic Practitioners Act, 1965. The bill was laid in Senate on January 6, 2020, and was referred to the relevant Senate standing committee before it was cleared by the committee.
All the three bills passed by Senate now require National Assembly's nod and then final ascent from the President of Pakistan before they become laws. Three new bills were laid in Senate and were referred to the relevant Senate standing committees concerned. These include The Islamabad Capital Territory Watersides Safety Bill, 2020, The Protection of the Rights of Religious Minorities Bill, 2020, and The Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2020. All these bills were moved by Javed Abbasi.
The House passed a resolution moved by PTI's Samina Saeed recommending that the government should take necessary steps to establish separate lock-ups for the custody of juveniles arrested on suspicion of committing crimes in order to keep them separate from adult criminals in lock-ups, in all police stations in ICT.
The Senate passed another resolution moved by Khushbakht Shujat from Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) which recommended that the government should take necessary measures to promote cultural norms and social values of our society with particular reference through electronic media in order to present and promote soft and positive image of our society and country.
The matter regarding importance of telemetering system for distribution of water amongst the provinces and reasons for non-implementation of the same in the country, highlighted by Gianchand from Pakistan People's Party (PPP), was referred to the Senate standing committee concerned. The House would meet again today (Tuesday).
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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