ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Defence Monday unanimously, approved the Pakistan Maritime Zones Bill, 2023 (PMZ–2023), which consolidates and amends the law relating to the territorial sea and maritime zones of Pakistan.

The committee was chaired by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed.

During the meeting, the committee received a comprehensive briefing on the National University of Pakistan Bill, 2023. The proposed university will be a unique model and a public sector initiative with a multidisciplinary scope.

It will focus on strengthening and empowering affiliated colleges and achieving excellence in the advancement and dissemination of knowledge in the fields of natural and applied sciences, engineering and emerging technologies, management sciences, computing, social sciences, humanities and arts, and other such branches of knowledge. The representatives from the HEC and the Ministry of Law voiced their support for the bill.

After due deliberation, the committee unanimously approved the bill. The committee also unanimously approved the Pakistan Maritime Zones Bill, 2023 (PMZ–2023), which will enable Pakistan to deal with the matters in accordance with national and international laws, and assert its rights, jurisdiction, and sovereignty in sync with internationally-accepted provisions.

The chairman appreciated the efforts of Commodore Dr Syed Mahmood Akhtar Hussain Gardezi, Judge Advocate General of Pakistan Navy, in this regard.

The meeting was attended by Senator Walid Iqbal, Senator Engr Rukhsana Zuberi, senior officials from the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Law, Pakistan Navy, and the HEC.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023