Senate Committee decides to take up overbilling issue in next meeting

ISLAMABAD, July 25 (SABAH): Senator Faisal Saleem Rehman chaired the meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior held on Thursday Parliament House.

The meeting was attended by Senator Irfanul Haq Siddiqui, Senator Shahadat Awan, Senator Umer Farooq, Senator Palwasha Muhammad Khan  Zai, Senator Jam Saifullah Khan, Senator Mir Dostain Khan Domki, Special Secretary for Ministry of Interior, Chairman NADRA Lt. General (Retd) Munir Afsar, DG FIA Ahmad Ishaque Jehangir, DG Passport and Immigration Mustafa Jamal Qazi, Chief Commissioner ICT Chaudhry Muhammad Ali Randhawa, National Coordinator NACTA Muhammad Tahir Rai, and other senior officials of relevant departments were also in attendance.

The Senate Committee passed the Bill titled “The Fatal Accidents (Amendment) Bill, 2024”. Senator Shahadat Awan, the bill’s mover, stated that the bill seeks to ensure speedy justice and enable legal heirs of the victims to receive compensation in case of death due to fatal accidents.

The Committee also passed the Bill titled “The Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2024”. The Bill seeks to insert section 59A in the CRPC and amend sections 431 and 431A. Senator Shahdat Awan, the bill’s mover, stated that the aim of the bill is to make it obligatory for law enforcement agencies under section 59A to inform the accused of the charges under which they have been arrested. However, section 431A provides the right to the family of an accused facing a defamation suit to defend the case after the accused’s death.

Moreover, the committee passed the Bill titled “The Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2024”. Senator Shahadat Awan, the bill’s mover, explained that the bill provides the option of a bank guarantee as security, in addition to cash and promissory notes, for persons seeking bail.

Furthermore, the committee was briefed by Chairman NADRA on its operations and performance. Chairman NADRA explained that NADRA’s role includes providing identification services to customers domestically and abroad, and that NADRA processed 15.8 million cards last year. The Committee raised concerns about fake CNICs issued to Afghan nationals. Chairman NADRA clarified that NADRA terminated the services of 629 employees found guilty of issuing fake CNICs to Afghans and prevented 3.8 million attempts to obtain CNICs through illegal means. The Committee commended NADRA for its efforts in curbing fake CNIC issuance.

During the session, DG FIA informed the committee that FIA operates throughout the country except in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. FIA is committed to combating corruption, money laundering, and cybercrime nationwide. Last year, FIA seized Rs. 5.593 billion in Hawala and Hundi transactions, recovered 6097 acres of Evacuees Trust land, saved 819.84 million electricity units, and investigated 45,080 connections to address allegations of overbilling by distribution companies (Discos). The Committee decided to hold a separate meeting to discuss issues related to overbilling by the Discos.

While discussing the performance of Immigration and Passport, DGI&P Mustafa Jamal Qazi informed the committee that the Passport and Immigration department earned revenue of Rs. 45 billion last year. The Committee inquired about the current status of backlogs in passport issuance. DGI&P highlighted that there is no backlog in the overseas category, but there is a backlog of 16.5 million applications in the normal category. The Committee Chair directed the DG Passport and Immigration to provide details on official and diplomatic passports in the next meeting.

The Committee was briefed by the Chairman CDA on its recent initiatives. Chairman CDA informed that the government is committed to making CDA a robust and essential organization with a more digitalized presence. He highlighted that CDA recently digitalized its Human Resource department and identified 1200 ghost employees. Additionally, CDA signed an MoU with Baku team for the beautification of Islamabad and launched a city-wide plantation campaign. Furthermore, CDA signed an MoU with the Punjab Land Record Authority for the digitalization of land records, expected to be completed this year. The Committee instructed CDA to provide details on ghost employees and recent allotments to employees.