The Senate on Monday unanimously passed six private members' bills, while deferring three others on the request of the movers.
The approved legislation included the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2023; the Pakistan Council for Science and Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2023; the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024; the Higher Education Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2024; the Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (Amendment) Bill, 2024; and the Islamabad Capital Territory Prohibition on Employment of Children Bill, 2022.
The house deferred three bills on the request of the movers. These were the Pakistan Penal Code (Amendment) Bill, 2024 (seeking amendment to Section 377 of PPC), the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Mental Health (Amendment) Bill.
The Senate referred the Fatima University of Science and Technology Bill, 2025 - aimed at establishing a university in Multan - to the relevant committee for further consideration.
Senator Sarmad Ali also withdrew his bill seeking to regulate social media for age-restricted users, titled the Social Media (Age-Restricted Users) Bill, 2025.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, citing honour killing cases where families misused reconciliation provisions under Section 345 of the Criminal Procedure Code to let perpetrators go free, said loopholes persist in the implementation of existing laws.
Winding up the debate on a motion moved by Senator Sherry Rehman regarding the alarming rise in gender-based violence across the country, the minister described the statistics presented in the House as deeply concerning. He emphasized that the issue required a balanced and cautious approach.
Tarar said that Pakistan already suffers from an over-legislated legal framework, and stressed that private member billsespecially those concerning criminal lawshould undergo rigorous scrutiny.
Addressing the issue of domestic violence, the minister acknowledged that while all provinces had enacted relevant legislation, the federal capital was still awaiting the passage of its law.
He said that there were serious flaws in the investigation and prosecution processes, noting that weak case preparation and poor coordination between police and prosecution often led to acquittals.
To ensure fair trials and stronger conviction rates, the minister called for involving prosecution services from the investigation stage.
He said that societal mindsets, family pressure, and the misuse of laws frequently led to the withdrawal of domestic violence complaints.
Moving the motion, Senator Sherry Rehman said that over 32,766 cases of violenceincluding honour killings, kidnappings, and rape-cum-murderhad been reported across the country.
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