National Assembly Passes Bill for Establishing Council of Science and Technology

On Monday, the National Assembly unanimously passed a bill regarding the establishment of Pakistan Council for Science and Technology (PCST).

The bill was moved to the House by Minister of Law and Justice Zahid Hamid. The ministers explained to the house that the PCST is involved in policy making, planning and implementation of said policies while conducting studies on them as well.

He added,

This organization will provide a forum for coordination to science and technology with national and international agencies and identification of priority subjects with reference to their bearing on socio-economic development and national security.

The council will be advising the government on development of science and technology in Pakistan.

Filling The Void

Pakistan lacked a national council or institution dedicated for science and technology, which left a vacuum for the development of science and tech in the country.

With the establishment of this council, it is hoped that science and technology is promoted more in the country.

Cyber Crime Bill Recap

You may recall the Cyber Crime Bill that was approved a few months back in the National Assembly. The bill was subject of a very long and tedious debate in the assembly and had to be revised several times before it was approved. Even after the bill was approved, it faced criticism and was claimed to be too vague and incomplete.

Read More: Cyber Crime Bill Challenged in High Court

After the implementation of this bill, culprits are getting arrested almost every month under Cyber Crime allegations. Improvements can be made to the Bill by the way of amendments and in the long run the law will need to be refined. It is still a much needed part of the law which the constitution lacked ever since internet usage increased in Pakistan.