Bill seeks social cover for unemployed

NA panel on Law, justice to vet amendment bill on state duty to provide food, clothing, and shelter to jobless people

ISLAMABAD:

An amendment bill to provide basic necessities of life and social protection to unemployed people in the country through compulsory social insurance was presented in the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Law and Justice.

According to the bill, the state will provide food, clothing, shelter, education and medical facilities to all those unemployed people who are unable to earn a living permanently or temporarily due to weakness, illness or joblessness.

The committee decided to call PM’s aide Dr Sania Nishtar and Barrister Ali Zafar to brief on government priorities on social security and constitutional affairs in the next session.

The panel, which met under the chairmanship of Riaz Fatyana, discussed the bill presented by PPP lawmaker Agha Rafiullah.

Committee member Naveed Qamar hailed the bill saying that offering medical treatment and social security to the people was a noble task but asked who would provide funds for the purpose.

Expressing their reservations, law ministry officials pointed out that people would approach the courts when they will not get the promised facilities after the passage of bill.

Committee member Sanaullah Khan Masti Khel recommended that the procedure adopted by the foreign countries should be first reviewed in this regard.

The committee chairman stressed on the need to further mull over the bill and deferred it.

The meeting also discussed the amendment bill regarding Legal Practitioners and Bar Council Act, which was presented by PPP parliamentarian Nafisa Shah.

The PPP legislator adopted the stance that the representation of several districts in the Sindh Bar was equal to none.

She demanded that three representatives from three districts should be added to the Sindh Bar and that the members of the Sindh Bar Council had favoured this suggestion.

Lawmaker Masti Khel emphasised that a system should be developed where there was a permanent principal seat and that the number of members could be increased when the provinces demanded.

The law ministry officials maintained that the Pakistan Bar Council had opposed the idea of increasing the number of members as it could affect the next elections.

The committee chairman sought a chart from the law ministry, Pakistan Bar Council and all provincial bar councils regarding the number of members and representation.