The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology on Tuesday deferred approval of the Electronic Transactions (Amendment) Bill, 2026, directing the government to build political consensus before bringing the legislation back for consideration.
Committee Chairman Syed Amin Ul Haque questioned whether the government had secured political agreement on the proposed amendments.
Minister of State for IT Shaza Fatima Khawaja acknowledged that no political consensus had yet been reached and assured the committee that the bill would not be passed without broader agreement.
Officials from the Ministry of Law told the committee that the amendments primarily involve replacing the words “Federal Government” with “Prime Minister” in the relevant provisions.
Committee member Sadiq Memon objected to the proposal, arguing that it would transfer powers from the federal cabinet to the prime minister. “You are putting the prime minister in a difficult position by doing this,” he said.
PPP lawmaker Sharmila Faruqui said the Ministry of Law should provide the committee with a detailed briefing before any amendments are approved.
Shaza Fatima said the proposed changes are intended to streamline administrative decisions, as routing such matters through the federal cabinet often causes delays. She added, however, that policy decisions would continue to be made by the cabinet.
Chairman Amin Ul Haque said the committee traditionally makes decisions through consensus and urged the government to consult its coalition partners before resubmitting the bill.
He emphasized that it is the Ministry of IT’s responsibility to build consensus on the proposed amendments before seeking the committee’s approval.
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