Senate panel irked by interior secretary’s absence

Head of committee says criminal law bill needs to be passed as quickly as possible.

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control expressed annoyance over the interior secretary’s absence and instructed the interior ministry to ensure the presentation on the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2016 at the panel’s next meeting so that the process of essential legislation could be accelerated.

The meeting was presided over by Senator Rehman Malik and attended by Senators Shahi Syed, Muhammad Ali Khan Saif and Muhammad Javed Abbasi. Azam Swati attended the meeting on special invitation.

The committee was to discuss the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2016 but the discussion was postponed because the interior secretary was not around.

The head of the committee said that the bill was part of the National Action Plan and needed to be passed as quickly as possible, but officials concerned were unaware about the bill’s importance.

He asked State Minister Balighur Rehman to investigate the matter as it showed negligence on the ministry’s part.

Senators Shahi Syed and Muhammad Javed Abbasi advised the chairman to postpone the discussion over the bill, which was endorsed by the chairman and other committee members.

After a detailed discussion, bills presented by Senators Azam Swati and Mushahid Hussain Syed were referred to the ministries of law and interior for vetting.

In this regard the chief secretaries and law secretaries of all provinces were directed to attend the next meeting of the committee with ample suggestions on the Police Order (Amendment) Bill, 2016.

Meanwhile, the panel discussed the existence of massive corruption in the health sector.

Senator Malik said the country lacked a ‘National Health Policy’ and in the absence of a drug regulatory authority, people could buy medicines without prescription.

He instructed the Ministry of Law and Health to submit reports so that a comprehensive law could be formulated to deter illicit practices in the health sector.

He said that he was also concerned about delays in detection of spurious medicines, adding that there were a number of legal loopholes in this regard.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 22^nd, 2016.