President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday gave assent to seven bills passed by parliament, including several controversial pieces of legislation, formally turning them into law before departing for the United Arab Emirates on an official visit.
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Last month, the president had returned the bills unsigned after their passage by both the Senate and the National Assembly. Following a joint sitting of parliament convened last week, the legislation was passed again and sent back for presidential approval.
According to the Presidency, the approved laws include the National Tariff Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2026; Export Development Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2026; Transfer of Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2026; Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill, 2026; Daanish Schools Authority Bill, 2026; Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2026; and National Commission for Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
The joint session passed key bills including the Daanish Schools Authority Bill, Domestic Violence Bill and the National Commission for Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, after they had earlier faced objections.
Although the Domestic Violence Bill was introduced by a lawmaker from the president’s own party, MNA Sharmila Faruqui, it was initially withheld amid objections from Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F). The Human Rights Amendment Bill had also drawn opposition from the same party. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Peoples Party had raised concerns over the Daanish Schools Authority Bill, arguing that education is a provincial subject. These concerns were later addressed by the PML-N ahead of the joint session.
After signing the legislation, President Zardari departed for the UAE on a four-day official visit from January 26 to January 29, accompanied by a high-level delegation.
During the visit, the president is scheduled to hold meetings with UAE leadership to review bilateral relations, with a focus on trade and economic cooperation, defence and security, and people-to-people links. Discussions will also cover regional and international issues of mutual interest, according to the Foreign Office.
A spokesperson said the visit, following the recent trip of the UAE president to Pakistan, reflects the deep brotherly ties between the two countries and reaffirms their commitment to transforming longstanding friendship into a mutually beneficial partnership.
