ISLAMABAD, Aug 07 (APP): The Senate on Monday witnessed the presentation of 33 bills related to the establishment of higher education institutions across the country as passed by the National Assembly.
Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training, Rana Tanveer Hussain, strongly advocated for the approval of educational bills that had received the seal of approval from the Higher Education Commission.
Among the bills that gained passage, two stood out prominently. Senator Saleem Mandviwalla’s ‘The Federal Ziauddin University Bill, 2023’ and Senator Naseebullah Bazai’s ‘The Prime University of Nursing Sciences Technology Islamabad, 2021’ were both successfully endorsed by the Senate, signifying a step forward in the expansion of educational opportunities.
However, the Senate forwarded a substantial portion of the bills—31 in total—to relevant committees for meticulous examination and refinement.
Senator Rana Mahmood ul Hassan presented nine bills including, The Promotion and Protection of Gandhara Culture Authority Bill, 2023, The Thar International Institute Bill, 2023, The Indus University of Science and Technology Bill, 2023, The Margalla International University Bill, 2023, The Shah Bano Institute Jaranwala Bill, 2023, The Cosmic Institute of Science and Technologies Islamabad (CISTI) Bill, 2023, The Islamabad International University Bill, 2023, The RAVI Institute (RI) Bill, 2023, and The Sheikhupura Institute of Advance Sciences Bill, 2023.
Senator Engr. Rukhsana Zuberi presented five bills including, The University of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Bill, 2023, The Monarch Institute Bill, 2023, The King’s Institute of Higher Education Bill, 2023, The Bulleh Shah International University Bill, 2023, and The Islamabad Institute of Modern Sciences Bill, 2023.
Senator Irfan ul Haq Siddiqui presented three bills which were sent to the Cabinet Division for further consideration includes, The International Islamic Institute for Peace (IIIP) Bill, 2023, The National University of Health, Emerging Science and Technologies Islamabad Bill, 2023, and The Akhuwat Institute Kasur Bill, 2023.
However, Senator Hidayatullah Khan, Senator Kamran Murtaza, and Senator Danesh Kumar presented two bills respectively; The Askari Institute of Higher Education Bill, 2023, The Babrak Institute of Science, Arts and Technology Bill, 2023, The Kalam Bibi International Women Institute Bannu (Amendment) Bill, 2023, The Mufti-e-Azam Islamic University, Islamabad Bill, 2023, The Institute of Health and Professional Studies Bill, 2023, and The Ume Abeeha Institute of Health Sciences (UIHS) Bill, 2023.
In addition, Senator Kamran Michael, Senator Kauda Babar, Senator Rubina Khalid, Senator Khalida Ateeb, Senator Naseema Ehsan, Senator Dr Afnanullah Khan, Senator Mohammad Abdul Qadir, and Senator Rana Maqbool Ahmed presented one each bill respectively; The Falcon University of Sciences and Technology Bill, 2023, The Metropolitan International Institute of Science and Technology Bill, 2023, The National Excellence Institute Bill, 2023, The International Memon University Bill, 2023, The Institute of Gujrat (IOG) Bill, 2023, The Quaid-e-Azam Institute of Management Sciences, Sargodha Bill, 2023, The Al-Biruni International University Bill, 2023, and The Islamabad University of Health Sciences and Emerging Technologies Islamabad Bill, 2023.
The Senate, other than educational bills, presented by Senator Mushtaq Ahmed referred to the committee concerned for further consideration including; The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2022, and The Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils (Amendment) Bill, 2022.
The Senate also passed three bills presented by Senator Hafiz Abdul Karim, Senator Kamran Murtaza, and Senator Shahdat Awan which were passed with majority votes by the house respectively; The Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023, The Protection of Family Life and Wedlock Bill, 2023, and The Federal Public Service Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2023.
