Senate passes two education bills, takes up OGRA amendment bill

The Senate on Friday passed two bills by majority vote after clause-by-clause consideration. They were the Pakistan Study Centres (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

The House also saw the introduction of a bill to amend the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority Ordinance, 2002, according to Associated Press of Pakistan and 24 News.

Responding to a Calling Attention Notice moved by Senators Syed Waqar Mehdi and Zamir Hussain Ghumro, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said the proposed move of Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) headquarters from Karachi to Islamabad is an operational and administrative matter. He rejected concerns that regional or provincial considerations were behind it, and said the aim is to improve efficiency and cut unnecessary expenses.

Mr Chaudhry said the company's board had repeatedly pointed to the need to vacate the existing building because of its condition. He said about 77 per cent of PPL employees work at field locations and other offices and would not be affected, while only about 15 per cent of the workforce is based at the headquarters. He added that keeping offices in two places would raise costs and burden the public, and that PPL has substantial assets in Balochistan as well as its operations in Sindh.

On a notice by Senator Mohsin Aziz about the deteriorating condition of the Hazara Motorway, Mr Chaudhry said Rs900 million has been allocated for repairs after technical studies identified affected locations. He said the E-35 project was launched in 2015 and completed in 2018, and went through feasibility assessments, technical evaluations and third-party inspections, including by an international firm.

He said the two-year defect liability period ended in 2020, and complaints about road depressions and settlement emerged in 2024. Around six to seven locations have been identified with such problems. The Peshawar High Court has taken up the matter, with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government involved. The technical study looked at rock conditions, soil composition and topography. The government is willing to hold further inquiries if required and urged members to let repairs proceed. At the mover's request, the chair referred the matter to the relevant committee.

Federal Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi said the government proposed fencing on both sides of the 480-kilometre Karachi-Rohri section of the ML-1 railway track. He said the required Right of Way width would vary with embankment height, track geometry and site conditions, but construction limits would mostly stay within existing Pakistan Railways right of way. Additional land would be needed at some locations to fit curves because of the design speed of 160 kilometres per hour.