ISLAMABAD: The Senate Committee on Delegated Legislation, chaired by Senator Naseema Ehsan, convened on Monday to address concerns raised by Senator Maulana Atta-ur-Rehman regarding the Auqaf Rules, devised by the ICT administration under the Waqf Properties Act, 2020.
Representatives from the Interior Ministry reported that a meeting was held on February 9, 2023, to deliberate and approve the proposed rules. Despite the inactivity of the Ulema Council, a Ulema Committee was established, culminating the process in February 2024.
Senator Maulana Atta-ur-Rehman stressed the importance of consulting with the Ulema to build trust. He proposed that the reasons behind the rules should be discussed with the Ulema Council, and relevant documents should be shared with them. The committee members unanimously decided to engage the Ulema Committee and seek a consensus among all stakeholders.
Participants included Senators Bushra Anjum Butt, Atta-ur-Rehman, Rubina Qaim Khani, Poonjo Mal Bheel, the Special Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Law and Justice, the Chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology, and senior officials from related ministries.
A representative from the Ulema committee outlined challenges encountered during the rule-making process and mentioned that the Ministry of Interior had deemed the rules inadequate, prompting a request for new rules.
The Chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology highlighted that in the absence of a waqf manager in Islamabad, administrative powers had been granted to certain administrators. He emphasized the necessity of appointing a knowledgeable leader to promote societal harmony and goodness through their guidance.
The Additional Secretary of Law and Justice briefed the committee on the nuances of delegated and subordinate legislation. He explained that the Rules of Business, 1973, dictate the procedure for crafting subordinate legislation and stressed the need for inter-division consensus prior to finalizing drafts.
He also detailed the steps required for legislative approval, including consultations with the Law and Justice Division for vetting under Rule 14, and subsequent Cabinet assessments facilitated by the Cabinet Committee for Disposal of Legislative Cases (CCLC) before publication in the official Gazette.
