NA panel gives nod to whistleblowers bill

Approves forming LHC divisional benches at Faisalabad, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Sahiwal and DG Khan

ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel has given the nod to a proposed legislation which recommends award of 20% of the recovered amount to the whistleblower who reports any financial irregularity.

The 16th meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Law and Justice, chaired by MNA Riaz Fatyana at the Parliament House, considered on Monday a government bill, the Whistleblower Protection and Vigilance Commission Bill, 2019.

The committee later recommended that the proposed legislation may be passed by the National Assembly. However Aliya Kamran of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl submitted her note of dissent.

Aliya said the proposed law could create a vicious environment at government institutions, creating cliques of informers. She said the legislation would result in public disgrace of people, adding that the proposed law was an attempt to give role of institutions to common people.

The standing committee also considered the agenda "Discussion on establishment of Divisional Benches of the Lahore High Court (LHC) at Faisalabad, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Sahiwal and Dera Ghazi Khan" and recommended that said divisional benches of the LHC may be established.



The committee also confirmed minutes of its previous meetings held on May 15, and 16 and deferred the implementation status of its previous recommendations.

The committee considered “The Muslim Family Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019 (Section 4) (Government Bill)" and "The Muslim Family Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019 (Section 7) (Government Bill)" at the request of the ministry and deferred the bills till its next meeting.

The NA body also considered "The Letters of Administration and Succession Certificate Bill, 2019 (Government Bill)” and "The Enforcement of Women's Property Rights Bill. 2019 (Government Bill)”.

The committee considered “The Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2019 (Amendment in Article 1, 51, 59, 106, 154, 175A, 198 and 218), moved by MNA Rana Sanaullah. It recommended that the bill may be deferred till its next meeting due to non-availability of the mover.

It also considered "The Legal Practitioner and Bar Councils (Amendment) Bill, 2018” moved by Aliya Kamran, and deferred the same till its next meeting with recommendation that representatives of the Pakistan Bar Council and the Islamabad Bar Council be invited in the next meeting.

MNAs Atta Ullah, Lal Chand, Maleeka Ali Bokhari, Sanaullah Khan Masti Khel, Malik Ehsan Ullah Tiwana, Sher Ali Arbab, Saad Waseem and Aliya Kamran attended the meeting