Senate body passes 3 key govt bills

ISLAMABAD:

The Senate Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination on Wednesday deliberated on legislative and policy matters and passed three key government bills.

The upper house body met at Parliament House, Islamabad, under the chairmanship of Senator Dilawar Khan.

It took into consideration legislative bills and policy matters concerning tourism, institutional coordination and budgetary oversight.

Senator Rubina Khalid also attended the meeting.

The committee passed three key government bills referred by the House on January 16, 2026. These included the Pakistan Hotels and Restaurants (Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Travel Agencies (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Pakistan Tourist Guides (Amendment) Bill, 2026. The legislation aim to strengthen regulatory frameworks and streamline governance in the tourism and hospitality sector.

During the deliberations on the proposed amendments, the committee chairman raised questions regarding the nature and scope of the legislative changes.

The panel was briefed that the amendments appeared similar in nature and highlighted that following the 18th Constitutional Amendment the subject stands devolved to the provinces.

The committee chairman emphasized that the amendments propose regulation only to the extent of federal jurisdiction, underlining the need to ensure constitutional compliance and clarity in regulatory authority.

It was stated that according to the Supreme Court's judgement/order in Mustafa Impex case, instead of words "Government of Pakistan" the specific authorities are inserted in each bill.

The chairman further pointed out that the proposed amendments seek to enhance deterrence by significantly increasing penalties. He noted that fines/penalties are being revised aim to ensure stricter compliance within the sector.

During the discussion the committee also discussed the need for uniform policy in all provinces in the tourism sector. It was emphasized that tourism-related rules should be standardized across the country to ensure consistency and avoid regulatory discrepancies.

The importance of taking provinces on board and building consensus on a uniform policy framework was highlighted as a key requirement for effective governance.

Concerns were also raised that increasing penalties at the federal level without harmonization with provinces could lead tour operators/guides to shift their operations to provinces with comparatively lenient regulations. The Committee underscored the need for coordinated policymaking to prevent regulatory arbitrage.

In light of these concerns, the Committee decided to convene a joint meeting of the secretaries of all provinces to deliberate collectively to ensure consensus-based and harmonized legislation in the country.