A parliamentary panel on Friday decided to seek help from the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) in a bill seeking an end to presidential powers to pardon sentences in Hudood and Qisas cases. The meeting of Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice, which met here with Senator Javed Abbasi, said the bill will be discussed after getting input from the CII.

He also invited CII chairman and four experts in Sharia law to brief the committee on the issue, as the committee is set to debate a bill moved by Jamaat-e-Islami Senator Sirajul Haq, seeking an end to presidential power in Qisas and Diyat cases.

Haq endorsed the decision of the chair of seeking the CII input before proceedings with the bill, saying he also wants the committee to address the complicated issues if there are any in the bill.

The bill moved by Senator Haq seeks an amendment to Article 45 of the Constitution titled "President's power to grant pardon" and it was laid in the Senate on January 20 and Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani had referred it to the committee despite its initial opposition by the government.

The committee expressed annoyance over absence of law minister and secretary of the ministry from the meeting.

Abbasi, who was presiding over the meeting, said that both the officials are being given one more opportunity so that they can ensure their presence in the next meeting or else action will be taken against them.

The committee passed "The Letters of Administration and Succession Certificates Act, 2020," besides reviewing "The Legal Aid and Justice Authority Bill, 2020" and other bills.