A Senate committee has called for a review of overlapping jurisdictions and procedural anomalies in Pakistan's lawmaking, warning that conflicting provisions in election law are sending appeals down contradictory paths.

The Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice, chaired by Senator Farooq H. Naek, met in Islamabad on Tuesday to examine proposed legislative amendments, constitutional jurisdiction and the functioning of special courts and tribunals.

Election law out of step with the 27th Amendment

The committee examined the Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which aims to align the Elections Act, 2017 with the changes introduced by the 27th Constitutional Amendment and the appellate jurisdiction set out in Article 175F of the Constitution.

Federal Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar told the panel that several statutory sections still refer to the "Supreme Court", even though updated constitutional provisions require matters such as references on political parties under Article 17(2), defection cases under Article 63A and certain election tribunal matters to go to the Federal Constitutional Court.

Members highlighted a direct clash: under Section 9(5) of the Elections Act, an appeal against an Election Commission decision annulling a poll lies before the Supreme Court, while the proposed amendment to Section 155(1) would send appeals against election tribunal decisions to the Federal Constitutional Court. The committee heard that roughly 80 per cent of current appeals flow through conflicting statutory paths.

Honour killings bill deferred

The committee also took up the Criminal Laws (Amendment) (Honour Killings Prevention) Bill, 2026, moved by Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, but deferred consideration because the mover was unavailable. Discussions also covered the Pakistan Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Qanun-e-Shahadat Order. Source: The News