ISLAMABAD: The Upper House of the Parliament on Friday unanimously adopted the recommendations on the Money Bill further to amend certain laws relating to taxes and duties through the Finance (Supplementary) Bill 2023.
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The Senate session commenced with the verses of Holy Qur’an highlighting piety, patience, humility and forgiveness to be practiced by the believers to seek the Almighty’s blessings and salvation.
The Chairman Senate greeted Jumma Mubarak to the senators and took up leave applications at the start, however, he directed Senator Sadia Abbasi to move the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue recommendations on the Money Bill on behalf of the chairman committee Senator Saleem Mandviwalla.
Earlier, the Senator had presented the report of the said Committee on the Money Bill to make further amendments in certain laws pertaining to taxes and duties that was also unanimously adopted by the House.
On behalf of Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, Senator Abbasi also moved the motion of the Committee on Finance and Revenue on requesting an extension for a period of thirty days from February 17, 2023, regarding amendments in the Customs Act 1969, and the inclusion of import issues in the next budget which was unanimously carried by the House.
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Senator Sadia Abbasi also presented the report of the Committee on Finance and Revenue on Senator Mushtaq Ahmed’s question no. 46 pertaining to crossing points at Lower Dir and Bajaur including Ghulam Khan in North Waziristan at Pak-Afghan Border being closed for transportation between the two countries. However, the report submission was declared late.
Senator Mohsin Aziz on behalf of Senator Mohammad Abdul Qadir presented the reports of the Standing Committee on Petroleum regarding gas load-shedding in Sindh, gas outages in Balochistan, and the non-establishment of the LPG plant in Panjgore. However, the reports were declared late.
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The House deferred four orders of the day on the request of Chairman, Standing Committee on Law and Justice Senator Syed Ali Zafar.
Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights, Senator Walid Iqbal presented a report on amendments proposed in the National Commission on the Rights of Child Act, 2017 that was declared late.
While presenting a report on the implementation of the recommendations of the functional committee on human rights with respect to the treatment of a child by K-Electric, Senator Walid Iqbal lauded Senator Quratulain Marri for her work on the agenda to support the child who lost his forelimbs after electrocution to get bionics. He also thanked Senator Keshoo Bai and the entire committee members for their effort.
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Chairman of Senate Standing Committee on Interior, Senator Mohsin Aziz also presented his committee’s reports on the Bill to further amend the Islamabad Capital Territory Waqf properties Act, 2020 and the other on the Bill to amend the Provincial Motor Vehicles Ordinance, 1965.
Later, Senator Sardar Muhammad Shafiq Tareen of Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) on behalf of Senator Ejaz Ahmad Chaudhry presented reports on the Bills to amend the Control of Narcotic Substances Act, 1997 and another Bill on further amendment in the same which were declared late.
On the point of order, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Senator Dr Shahzad Waseem said the recommendations proposed in the report adopted by this House sought a mega catastrophe in the name of Mini Budget to be inflicted on the masses. He said the Opposition completely rejected this alleged controversial Bill as anti-public legislation.
Senator Waseem underlined that people were the center of all state endeavours, but these recommendations intended to add more to the miseries of the masses after the spike up in taxes and inflation.
He said the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has requested the government to allow the import of 155 luxury cars from the World Bank loan of $1.6 billion. “The FBR should improve its outdated IT system that has gone hackneyed and unable to serve its purpose of tax collection,” he added.
He said it was still time to reclaim the country, adding, as per the constitution, the government would be compelled to hold elections in the two provinces. However, the general elections would be a must to allow the masses to elect a unanimous leadership to decide its future course, he added.
