ISLAMABAD - The Upper House of the Parliament will meet on Monday to consider for passage or not the much talked about Protection of Pakistan Bill (PPB), 2014 with amendments that gives sweeping powers to armed force, civil armed forces and police to fight militancy and terrorism.
According to a statement issued by the Senate Secretariat, President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain has summoned the next session of the Senate to meet at the Parliament House on Monday, 30th June 2014, at 4 pm.
It will be a short session owing to the upcoming holy month of Ramadan and the House will also express solidarity with the armed forces engaged in a military operation Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan Agency (NWA). It is likely that the house will pass the PPB with amendments as the government had incorporated proposed amendments of the opposition parties in the Senate by addressing their reservations on the controversial law. The Bill will be sent back to the National Assembly for passage.
The government has summoned this special session for the passage of PPB as the government wants a legal instruments for armed forces, civil armed forces and the police fighting a war on terror against militants and engaged in a military operation in NWA. The bill that has only two years life that gives special powers to the forces as well as provides for establishment of special courts for the trial of militants and their detention for a specific period of time.
The house will pass a resolution for the formation of Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms asking the Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq to constitute the 23-member committee on the pattern of Parliamentary Committee on 18th Amendment.