ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice on Tuesday gave the nod to a bill aimed at simplifying the process of issuing succession certificates within the Islamabad capital territory.

The committee at a meeting chaired by Senator Javed Abbasi allowed the Ministry of Law and Justice to table the bill, ‘Letters of Administration and Succession Certificates Act 2018’, in the house.

The proposed bill had been referred to the committee by the Senate chairman. It aims at providing a simple mechanism in order to address difficulties faced by citizens in obtaining succession certificates and declaring family trees.

The ministry will now take the bill to the cabinet after which it will be brought to the Senate for consideration.

At present, civil judges issue succession certificates. Since they are also supposed to adjudicate other legal suits, the process takes months to complete.

The proposed bill would empower the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) to issue the certificate to legal heirs following the death of any person.

The meeting was attended among others by Senators Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah, Ayesha Raza Farooq, Dr Ghous Mohammad Khan Niazi, Quratulain Marri, Naseebullah Bazai, Syed Mohammad Sabir Shah, Sana Jamali, the secretary law and justice and senior officers from the ministry and other departments concerned.

The committee was told that Nadra was in a position to handle the issuance of the certificates in Islamabad.

The committee expressed the hope that once the legislation was passed for Islamabad, provinces would be encouraged to adopt the same.

The committee also discussed constitutional amendment bills moved by Senators Quratulain Marri, Naseebullah Bazai, Syed Sabir Shah regarding amendments to Articles 11, 260 and the fourth schedule, respectively.

The bill by Senator Marri sought to increase the minimum age of employment in hazardous work from 14 years to 16.

The bill by Senator Bazai sought to remove the bar of two years gap for governors and president to run for elections while the bill by Senator Shah sought a standard paper and quality for printing of the holy Quran.

The committee decided to conduct public hearings in consultation with provincial assemblies on the matters.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2019