The Virtual Status Ordinance, 2025 was presented in the Senate on Friday and was later sent to the concerned standing committee for review but not before it triggered a "storm" in the House, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
Showing his anger, PML-N’s Senator Afnanullah said that the ordinance was a copy of the bill, which he had presented after hard work of several months. “But the government first blocked the bill. And today, what it has presented is the copy of my bill,” he said, and added, “This amounts to cheating. Credit should be given to the man who burnt the midnight oil.”
Members of the opposition, too, on occasion, criticized the government, while Senator Humayun Mohmand said sarcastically that the government deserved a ‘gold medal’ for the cheating.
Also on Friday, a call-attention notice was moved in the House in which Senator Kamran Murtaza of the JUI-F said that mobile and internet services had been suspended in 36 districts of the province for the last several days, due to which the people were facing great inconvenience.
He further said that not only that, but travelling through rail, road and air was also disrupted.
The senator said it was every political party’s right to protest. “But the suspension of mobile and internet services damages the country’s reputation.”
One new bill introduced
The Federal Prosecution Service (Amendment) Bill, 2025 was introduced in Senate while two others bills including the National School of Public Policy (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the Petroleum (Amendment) Bill, 2025 were referred to the concerned standing committees.
Minister of State for Interior and Narcotics Talal Chaudhry introduced a bill further to amend the Federal Prosecution Service Act, 2023 [The Federal Prosecution Service (Amendment) Bill, 2025] in the House.
Similarly, Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar and Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik moved the National School of Public Policy (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the Petroleum (Amendment) Bill, 2025 respectively in the House as passed by the National Assembly.
Chairman Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani referred the bills to concerned standing committees for detailed deliberation.
Meanwhile, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on behalf of Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb laid before the Senate the Virtual Assets Ordinance, 2025 (Ordinance No. VII of 2025), as required by clause (2) of Article 89 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
NDMA central body for disaster preparedness
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry informed the Senate that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) serves as the central body for coordinating disaster preparedness and response across the country.
Responding to questions during the Upper House’s question hour, he said the NDMA was established under the National Disaster Management Act, 2010, with provincial disaster management authorities operating at their respective provincial levels.
The minister said the NDMA’s primary responsibilities include coordination with federal and international institutions to forecast potential disasters such as floods and earthquakes, and to ensure timely warnings to mitigate loss of life and property.
“At the provincial level, the implementation of disaster preparedness measures lies with the respective authorities, while the NDMA provides operational support, guidance, and coordination from the federal level,” he explained.
Referring to a recent tragic incident in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that claimed precious lives, Dr. Tariq Fazal said it was the responsibility of all provinces to ensure preventive measures and fulfil their obligations in disaster risk management.
Regarding commitments made by the federal government, he said most had already been fulfilled, and any pending matters identified by senators would be addressed promptly.
Reporter: Usman Khan