Islamabad, December 1, 2025: The Senate session began on Monday under the chairmanship of Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani, during which Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb briefed the Upper House on the government’s engagement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Responding to a motion moved by Senator Kamran Murtaza regarding the IMF’s report titled Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment in Pakistan, the finance minister said that the IMF team had proposed 15 recommendations, all of which were already part of the government’s institutional reform agenda.
Aurangzeb added that the IMF has issued similar diagnostic reports for 20 other countries and that Pakistan’s focus remained on strengthening institutional structures through sustained reforms.
Senator Kamran Murtaza, however, expressed concern over the report’s findings, noting that “the IMF report mostly talked about the courts,” and warning that “the graph of courts is falling rapidly.”
Earlier in the session, the House passed three key bills:
- The Rights of Persons Arrested, Detained or under Custodial Investigation Bill, 2020
- The Limited Liability Partnership (Amendment) Bill, 2023
- The Fatal Accidents (Amendment) Bill, 2024
The rights-related bill, moved by PPP Senator Farooq H. Naek, was passed unanimously. Explaining the bill’s features, Senator Naek said it ensures that arrested individuals are informed in writing of the reasons for their arrest, granted access to legal counsel, and allowed meetings with family members. The bill also guarantees access to medicines—currently sought through court orders—and imposes fines on police officials violating these provisions
The Senate also introduced eight bills, which were subsequently referred to the relevant standing committees:
- The Pakistan Psychological Council Bill, 2025
- The Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Bill, 2025
- The Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (Regulation) Bill, 2025
- The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (Amendment) Bill, 2025
- The Islamabad Capital Territory (Prohibition of Plastic Book Covers) Bill, 2025
- The Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2025
- The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (Amendment) Bill, 2025
- The Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils (Second Amendment) Bill, 2025
Additional amendments concerning allocation of special seats for deserving students in universities were also presented by Senator Kamran Murtaza.
The House approved a resolution recommending that the federal government provide comprehensive relief packages and adequate compensation to families affected by the 2025 floods. The resolution was moved by Senator Muhammad Talha Mahmood.
