30-04-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Senate adopts ‘Biological & Toxins Weapons' bill
ISLAMABAD: The Senate, Tuesday, passed the Biological and Toxins Weapons Convention (Implementation) Bill, 2025, a government legislative draft, that seeks to ensure Pakistan's compliance with the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).
Law Minister Azam Tarar presented the bill in the Senate session presided over by Deputy Chairman Syedaal Khan that was passed by the House.
According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the bill, Pakistan is a signatory to the BWC which was adopted in 1972.
Pakistan signed it in the same year and ratified it in 1974.
'It is important to highlight that this bill will establish bodies and mechanisms to ensure compliance with the BWC in Pakistan,' says the Statement of Objects and Reasons of this bill.
The bill envisages the establishment of an institutional mechanism to implement provisions of the BWC.
The House passed another legislative draft; the National Commission for Minorities' Rights Bill, 2025, also moved by the law minister.
The bill provides for the establishment of a national commission to ensure the protection of the rights of minorities in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the Senate concluded debate on escalated tension between India and Pakistan.
Winding up the discussion, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said, Pakistan would not resort to start the war with India first, but 'there would be tit for tat response in case of any misadventure by India.'
He said India cannot unilaterally revoke Indus Waters Treaty. 'Such agreements cannot be revoked unless both parties agree,' he said.
'We suspect that India staged this entire drama to revoke the Indus Waters Treaty,' Dar said.
He said China and Turkiye have extended their support to Pakistan in the wake of confrontation with India.
In this context, he said, contacts have also been made with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Hungary and Azerbaijan.
Earlier, Aon Abbas Buppi from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) demanded convening an all-parties conference to forge national unity amidst ongoing tension with India.
'To show national unity—that we are on the same page—Imran Khan, Nawaz Sharif, Asif Zardari – all should sit together to give a loud and clear message.'
Abbas said the world would start 'trembling… seeing this kind of national unity.'
'You bring Imran Khan here, no power would dare cast an evil eye on Pakistan,' the PTI senator said.
He took on Zardari and Sharif for not giving any public statement in the existing situation.
Raja Nasir Abbas from Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) said India wants to isolate Pakistan on all fronts.
'In response, we bring PECA Act, strangulate our media. India is uniting its people, making popular government, their system is protecting popular leadership—different countries have supported India due to Modi's foreign policy — and do we stand? Where is our foreign policy, diplomacy, media war?'
Abbas demanded that Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and other responsible government officials brief the Parliament on the matter.
'Get Imran Khan out of jail. Only he can counter Modi. He is the person who can deal with internal and external challenges,' the senator said.
Other senators from different political parties also shared their views regarding escalated hostility between India and Pakistan.
The Senate session was prorogued.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
