ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Law and Justice on Tuesday passed eight out of nine bills, and deferred the last one regarding amendment in criminal law.

One of the bills titled: ‘Pakistan Psychological Council Bill, 2020’ was passed by the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on National Health Services (NHS), but the bill was again referred to the committee on law and justice by the house for consideration.

Since it was tabled by the committee chairman PTI MNA Riaz Fatyana, as mover of the bill he cannot chair the meeting where his bill was being discussed.

So the committee decided to request another PTI MNA Lal Chand to chair the meeting.

After detailed deliberations the committee unanimously approved the bill and sent it to the National Assembly for approval.

Mr Fatyana, while talking to Dawn, said the bill was passed by the parliamentary committee on NHS but was referred to his own committee for reconsideration.

“The bill suggests that a Council of Psychology should be established to register the psychiatrists. It is unfortunate that psychiatrists start practicing without getting licences. I have suggested that the psychiatrists should also be registered and they should also get licences before practice,” he said.

“Moreover, the council will also be able to look into the quality of the education and syllabus to improve the quality of psychiatrists in Pakistan,” he said.

Mr Fatyana said that during the meeting as many as eight, out of nine, bills were passed.

At the start, the committee unanimously condemned the bomb blast at Peshawar and also offered Fateha for the departed souls.

The committee considered and passed: The Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electric Power (Amendment) Bill, The Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils (Amendment) Bill, The Trained Paramedical Staff Facility Bill, The Maternity and Paternity Leave Bill, 2020, The Federal Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2019, The National Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill.

However the committee considered, The Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020 moved by MNA Kishwer Zehra and after detailed deliberations it was recommended by the Committee that the written comments from the Ministry of Interior as well as from the provinces be obtained to proceed further in the matter.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2020