The Senate on Friday passed two government bills – the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council Bill, 2026, and the Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Bill, 2026 – while referring four other bills to the relevant standing committees for deliberation.
Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Syed Mustafa Kamal moved the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council Bill, 2026, while Minister of State for Finance and Revenue Bilal Azhar Kayani piloted the Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Bill, 2026 in the House.
Moving the bill, Mustafa Kamal requested the House to pass it without referring it to the standing committee, stating that it had already been discussed in detail by the National Assembly committee.
He also urged members to pass the bill, saying amendments could later be introduced and incorporated into it.
Senator Haji Hidayatullah Khan and Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Health Services Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti also urged the Chair to pass the bill without referring it to the committee.
Sherry Rehman, who was presiding over the session, put the bill to a vote. Fourteen members voted in favour of passing the bill without referring it to the committee, while 13 members supported sending it to the committee.
The bill was later passed clause by clause.
According to the statement of objects and reasons of the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council Bill, the previous governing laws were unable to address serious governance, administrative and financial challenges faced by the Council. The body became dysfunctional due to internal disputes, litigation, and allegations of inefficiency and misconduct, resulting in a severe backlog in registration and licensing, which affected service delivery in the nursing and midwifery sectors nationwide.
The bill aims to restore effective regulation, ensure transparency and align the nursing and midwifery profession with international standards. It seeks to reconstitute the Council with balanced representation from the public, private and professional sectors, introduce supervisory oversight by the Ministry of National Health Services, and ensure financial transparency through audits conducted by registered chartered accountant firms.
The bill also seeks to recognise institutions and qualifications through transparent third-party accreditation.
Meanwhile, Bilal Azhar Kayani moved the Netting of Financial Arrangements Bill, 2026, the Export-Import Bank of Pakistan (Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Fiscal Responsibility and Debt Limitation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Islamabad Capital Territory Condominium (Ownership and Management) Bill, 2026 in the House.
The presiding officer referred all four bills to the relevant standing committees for detailed discussion.
Moreover, Bilal Azhar Kayani laid before the Senate a copy of the Money Bill to further amend the Customs Act, 1969 – the Customs (Amendment) Bill, 2026 – as required under Article 73 of the Constitution.
The presiding officer referred the bill to the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue and asked members to submit their recommendations by Monday.