Senate unanimously passes 19th Amendment Bill

 ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Thursday unanimously passed19th amendment bill with 80 votes in favour and none in against, while the National Assembly passed the bill with majority of votes but not unanimously as an MNA cast vote against the bill.

Two amendments were proposed by Senators Hafiz Rashid, Muhammad Idress and Haroon Akhtar Khan in section 1 and clause 246 of the 19thamendment; however both the amendments were rejected by the House.

Hafiz Rashid and Muhammad Idrees proposed amendment in clause 246 and said that 25 villages of Charsadda and Peshawar districts should be included in tribal areas.

Chairman of Parliamentary Reforms Committee Raza Rabbani opposed the amendment and said that these villages are attached with settled districts and could not be included in tribal areas. He said the amendment was out of the scope of the bill and it also needs a separate procedure to include any area of settle district to tribal area.

Haroon Khan said that proposed of tax should be imposed on agricultural sector, however, Raza Rabbani said that since the concurrent list has been abolished under 18th amendment therefore it is a provincial subject.

Chairman Senate Farooq H. Naek while giving the ruling on the two amendments said that both the amendments were beyond the scope and limit of 19th amendment bill.

The 19th amendment bill mainly deals with appointment of judges, addition of four-member senior judges in judicial commission and addition of Islamabad High Court in the list of higher judiciary.
source: geo.tv