ISLAMABAD, May 15: In a rare show of unanimity, treasury and opposition members in the Senate on Monday passed an amendment to the Fiscal Responsibility and Debt Limitation Act 2005, enabling medium-term budget and fiscal policy statements to be laid in future before the upper house in addition to the National Assembly.

The house rejected an amendment bill by majority vote which sought to change the composition of the National Security Council proposing it to be headed by the prime minister with all civilian members.

Opposition lawmakers took serious notice of complaints of wholly inadequate working conditions, low wages and fleecing of Pakistani workers sent to Malaysia by overseas employment promoters under a memorandum of understanding. The government vehemently denied there were any complaints left in this regard.

The house, which rejected all bills introduced by opposition members, witnessed consensus on amendments sought in the Code of Criminal Procedure (CCrPr), 1898, and Pakistan Penal Code (PPC),1860, seeking to change the procedure of investigation of crime, providing speedy justice and drastically enhancing punishment for land grabbers.

Three bills sought to be moved by Dr Kausar Firdaus to protect working women’s rights, giving women economic stability and amending the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) Ordinance 1962 were rejected on vote count.

The bill to provide for restriction on dowry and marriage gifts also earned consensus among the two sides, but it was deferred on the request of the religious affairs minister on grounds that the government was in the process of introducing legislation on the subject.

The mover proposed that a dowry amount should be limited to Rs30,000, bridal gifts to Rs50,000 and attaching their list to the wedding document (nikahnama).

The bill to amend the Fiscal Responsibility and Debt Limitation Act 2005 was jointly moved by Leader of the Opposition Wasim Sajjad and former leader of opposition Mian Raza Rabbani.

Introducing the bill, Mr Sajjad said that fiscal policy which had so far been placed before the National Assembly would henceforth also be laid before the Senate.

The house also agreed with PML-N leader Ishaq Dar’s proposal that Senate members should also be included in the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to make it a joint committee of both the houses and decided to introduce legislation in this regard.