The Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice has unanimously passed a bill aimed at revamping regulations on inquiry commissions.
The government had been blocked three separate times by a boycotting opposition that always managed to cite a lack of quorum when they previously tried to push the Pakistan Commissions of Inquiry Bill, 2016’s passage in the National Assembly.
The government finally managed to get the bill through the lower house on November 30, 2016.
The need for the law first arose when former chief justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali refused to constitute an inquiry commission to investigate the Panamagate case against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
The then chief justice had claimed that the old law from 1956 the prime minister had cited as precedent to form the commission was “toothless”.
However, the opposition had been adamant in resisting the law. It said there was barely any difference between the existing law and the first draft of the proposed law, claiming the government was simply trying to rebrand the old law.
However the bill is changed from the first draft and the form approved by the Senate committee includes amendments suggested by the opposition.
Law Minister Zahid Hamid said the government had now strengthened the inquiry commissions which could now be formed on any matter in future.
The minister informed that the publishing of an inquiry’s report would be mandatory under the new law, so that there was complete transparency and nothing could be left to doubt.
He also said that in case a commission’s report is not made public within the given timeframe, a court can be asked to intervene. The committee was also told that a government report will have to be published within 30 days after the completion of an inquiry.
The new law also makes provisions for commissions to invite foreign experts and professionals to investigate cases as well as granting them complete powers to handle both civil and criminal matters.
The bill has been sent back to the Senate as per procedure. Once adopted, it will be forwarded to the president. Once it is signed by the President, the bill will become binding under law.
