The Pakistan Maritime Zones Bill, 2023, which consolidates and amends the law governing Pakistan’s territorial sea and maritime zones, was unanimously approved by the Senate Standing Committee on Defense.
According to the sources, Senator Moshahid Hussain Sayed presided over the committee meeting. The Bill will allow Pakistan to deal with these issues in accordance with national and international law, as well as assert its privileges, jurisdiction, and sovereignty in line with internationally recognized provisions.
The committee received an in-depth briefing on the National University of Pakistan Bill, 2023, during the meeting. The proposed university will be a one-of-a-kind model as well as a public-sector initiative with an interdisciplinary focus.
In addition, it will prioritise the strengthening and empowerment of affiliated colleges, as well as the development and distribution of knowledge in the areas?of engineering and emerging technologies, natural and applied sciences, management sciences, social sciences, humanities and arts, computing, and other fields of knowledge.
The Bill was supported by representatives from the Ministry of Law and the Higher Education Commission (HEC). The committee unanimously endorsed the bill after careful consideration.
Senator Engr. Rukhsana Zuberi, Senator Walid Iqbal, and senior officials from the Ministry of Law, Pakistan Navy, Ministry of Defence, and HEC attended the meeting.
Recently, the senate passed the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Bill, 2023. The House also passed two more bills: The Lawyers Welfare and Protection Bill, 2023 and The Inter Boards Coordination Commission Bill, 2023.
Last week, the National Assembly NA passed the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023, which seeks to strip the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) of the authority to take suo motu notice in an individual capacity.
The bill, proposed by Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar, was approved just hours after the cabinet’s proposed amendments were accepted by the Standing Committee on Law and Justice.
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