Pressing issues top Senate agenda

Bill seeking to make thalassemia test mandatory before marriage likely to be tabled

ISLAMABAD: The Senate will meet on Monday (today) after a two-day break to take up a heavy legislative agenda.

The upper house of parliament will debate pressing issues – including foreign debt, government’s foreign policy, the situation arising out of the recent protest sit-ins after the acquittal of blasphemy accused Aasia Bibi by the Supreme Court and increase in gas and electricity tariffs.

The session to be chaired by Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani will have a 37-point agenda. The agenda shows a total of 17 bills, including three constitutional amendment bills, to be introduced by the members, mostly by those sitting on the opposition benches.

Senate Standing Committee on Aviation Chairman Mushahidullah Khan will present a report regarding phone facilities at the New Islamabad Airport.

Senator Mian Attique will present a bill to make mandatory thalassemia test before marriage. He will also table a bill to amend the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act.



Another bill to make it binding upon the government to place agreements and contracts with other countries, donors and international monetary organisations before parliament for ratification is also part of the agenda issued by the Senate Secretariat for the private member’s day sitting.

The bill titled: “Ratification of Foreign Agreements by Parliament Bill, 2018” had been moved by PPP Senator Raza Rabbani in August.
Through the bill, Rabbani called upon the government to place a foreign agreement, contract or protocol to be signed with any country before both the houses of parliament to seek approval of its draft within 15 days of its finalisation.

At the time of submitting the bill, the PPP leader had explained that the bill provided powers to the members of parliament to suggest changes to the draft of the agreement with their recommendations.



He said the government “shall take up the recommendations of the parliament with the other parties and a detailed report of the proceedings undertaken in respect of the recommendations will also be placed before the parliament.”

The former Senate Chairman has suggested in his bill that “a resolution withholding recommendation” may be passed by 55 per cent of the members of each house, thus barring the government from signing the agreement. He had clarified that he had moved the bill only for the future agreements.

The words “foreign agreements” in Clause 2 of the proposed bill means and includes “all agreements, treaties, contracts and trade protocols signed with foreign governments or banks or donors or lending agencies” by the Pakistan government.

“Ratification means passed by a simple majority of each House of Parliament,” says the bill.