The Senate on Tuesday passed the Privatization Commission (Amendment) Bill 2025, aimed at transferring the powers of appointment, removal, and tenure of the chairman, secretary, and board members of the Privatization Commission from the federal government to the Prime Minister.
According to sources, the bill was presented in the Senate by the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Privatization, Muhammad Ali, and was approved by the House. The Senate session was chaired by Agha Shahzaib Durrani, while Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gillani and Deputy Chairman Syedal Khan were not present.
According to the statement of objects and reasons of the Privatization Commission (Amendment) Bill 2025, the Supreme Court’s interpretation of Article 90 of the Constitution defines the federal government as the Prime Minister and federal ministers, collectively known as the cabinet.
Sources said the statement explained that under the Privatization Commission Ordinance 2000, the federal government has the authority to determine the number of board members, the service terms of the chairman and secretary, and the tenure of the chairman, secretary, and members of the board. The federal government can also remove the chairman, secretary, or any board member. However, since appointments are made by the Prime Minister, these powers can be vested in the Prime Minister, while the tenure of board members will be specified in the law.
The statement further said that the Privatization Commission cannot publish a privatization notice without consulting the federal government, which is impractical. Consultation with the relevant ministry and concerned organization should be sufficient. It was also noted that the terms “federal government” and “cabinet” are repeatedly used throughout the ordinance, while the term “Government of Pakistan” appears once in Section 16 and requires correction.
Since the terms “cabinet” and “federal government” are now being used interchangeably, it was proposed to replace the term “cabinet” with “federal government.” Amendments to the ordinance were therefore necessary, and the bill was introduced for this purpose.
Meanwhile, Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar moved a motion to refer the Whistleblower Protection and Vigilance Commission Bill 2025, which had been passed by the Senate but could not be approved by the National Assembly within the prescribed 90 days, to a joint session of Parliament. The House approved the motion.
Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar informed the Senate that a Counter Violent Extremism Cell has been established to prevent violent extremism. He said that the Paigham-e-Peace Committee, comprising religious scholars from all schools of thought, is actively working to promote peace and eliminate extremism.
The Senate session was adjourned until Friday.
