The Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology on Monday unanimously passed The Pakistan Halal Authority Bill, 2015 after detailed discussion.
The committee met with Senator Osman Saifullah Khan in the chair. Senators Lt. Gen (r) Abdul Qayyum and Mian Muhammad Ateeq Sheikh and Federal Minister for Science and Technology Rana Tanveer Hussain attended the meeting.
The committee praised the efforts of the ministry for preparing the draft of Halal Authority Bill.
The committee observed that there was a need to establish the monopoly of local industry in the Halal sector and that farming of sheeps and goats should be encouraged.
An official of the Ministry of S&T told the committee that the Pakistan Council of Science and Industrial Research (PCSIR) had established Halal Authentication laboratory at PCSIR Labs Complex, Lahore and Peshawar to support local industries and regulatory authorities for export and import of Halal items, especially food and cosmetics.
The body was informed that Pakistan, like other Muslim countries was opposing the establishment of Halal Technical Committee in World Health Organization (WHO).
The official briefed the members about the salient features of The Pakistan Halal Authority Bill, 2015.The purpose of the authority was to promote imports, exports, trade and commerce with the foreign countries and inter-provincial trade and commerce in Halal articles and processes.
