F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Law and Justice on Tuesday unanimously approved the Exit from Pakistan (Control) (Amendment) Bill, 20l9.
The NA body met here under the Chairmanship of Riaz Fatyana. Members,MNAs and Movers Atta Ullah, Lal Chand, Ms. Malika Ali Bukhari, Malik Muhammad Ehsan ullah Tiwana, Sher Ali Arbab, Mrs. shunila Ruth, Ch.Mehmood Bashir Virk, Usman lbrahim, Mohsin Nawaz Ranja, Syed Hussain Tariq, Dr. Nafeesa Shah, Syed Naveed Qamar, Ms’ Aliya Kamran, Sher Akbar Khan, representative of Ministry of Law and Justice, representatives of Ministry of Human Rights, representatives of Ministry of Finance Division, representatives of Interior Ministry, representative of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination, along with their staff attended the meeting. The committee discussed the Exit from Pakistan (Control) (Amendment) Bill, 2019 moved by Raja Pervaiz Ashraf.
After detail deliberations, the committee recommended that the bill should be passed with amendments by the assembly.
According to the proposed amendment, the person on the exit control list would be notified within seven days and the appeal of the affected person on the exit control list would be decided within 30 days.
Syed Naveed Qamar said that when someone’s name was put on the ECL, the person was informed about the decision.
He said that unfortunately the alleged accused found his/her name on the ECL when he/she arrived at the airport and had to return back. The amendment suggested that the grounds should be stated before putting the name on the ECL, he added.
He said that the person whose name had been put on the ECL should also be given a chance for representation. A representative of law ministry said that there were no rules existed for putting someone’s name on ECL but now the rules had been framed and the new rules included all of these proposed amendments.
A section officer of interior ministry stated that the ECL Ordinance included three things to amend. It had been said that whoever was included in the ECL should be informed within 24 hours that his name was included in the ECL, he added.
He said that no law should be against fundamental rights.
He said that the federal government had the power to add a person’s name to the ECL. There was a committee headed by the law minister which heard the representation of the persons concerned, he added.
He said that the ministry could not report in 24 hours because the list contain the names of some terrorists and notify other people by post but it took time. Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha said that the person against whom the NAB had started an inquiry was named in the ECL.
Riaz Fatyana said that the government had the right to place anyone’s name on ECL.
The committee considered, the Islamabad Capital Territory Prohibition of Corporal Punishment Bill, 2Ol9 moved by Ms. Mehnaz Akbar Aziz and after detailed deliberations recommended that the bill should be passed by the assembly.
The committee considered, the Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils (Amendment) Bill, 2O2O (Section 5) moved by Dr. Nafisa Shah and The legal Practitioners and Bar Councils (Amendment) Bill, 2020 (Section 5) moved by Sher Akbar Khan and after detailed deliberations the committee deferred the bills with recommendations that the ministry of law and Justice should devise a proper formula for increase of seats of the provincial bar councils across the Pakistan.
Dr Nafisa Shah said that the amendment called for an increase in Sindh’s seats in bar councils. The committee considered different bills including The Banking Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2Ol9, The lslamabad Compulsory Vaccination and Protection of Health Workers Bill, 2020, The Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2Ol9 (Article179) and The Legal Aid and Justice Authority (Amendment)Bill,2O2O (Section 2, 5 & 9A) and deferred the same till next meeting.
