Senate Committees Meet in Pakistan on 10 November 2026: Honour Killings Bill, Elections Amendment Bill and FIA Smuggling Probe
Four Senate of Pakistan committees meet on 10 November 2026: the honour killings and Elections Amendment bills, an FIA smuggling probe and federal job quotas.
Short answer: Four Senate of Pakistan committee meetings are listed for Tuesday, 10 November 2026. The Law and Justice Committee meets at 2:00 pm on the Honour Killings Prevention Bill and the Elections (Amendment) Bill. An Interior sub-committee meets at 10:30 am on the FIA's probe into misuse of the FATA and PATA tax exemption.
We read every meeting notice the Senate Secretariat posted on senate.gov.pk for 10 November. Parliament is not sitting: both the Senate and the National Assembly were prorogued on 30 October 2026, so committees are where federal law is being worked on this week. Below is what each committee will take up, who is called to answer, and what the law says now on the two bills.
Four Senate committees meet on 10 November 2026
The Senate lists four meetings for Tuesday. Two are in Parliament House, one is in Parliament Lodges and one is a visit in Lahore. Each notice was issued between 26 October and 5 November, and each sets its own agenda.
| Committee | Time and place | Main business |
|---|---|---|
| Sub-Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control | 10:30 am, Old PIPS Hall, Parliament Lodges | FIA probe into FATA and PATA exemption misuse and smuggling |
| Sub-Committee of the Functional Committee on Devolution | 11:00 am, Committee Room 1, Parliament House | Provinces' share in federal jobs, spending on devolved subjects |
| Sub-Committee on Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit-Baltistan and SAFRON | 11:00 am, Lahore (10 and 11 November) | Visits to Jammu and Kashmir State properties |
| Standing Committee on Law and Justice | 2:00 pm, Committee Room 4, Parliament House | Honour Killings Prevention Bill, Elections (Amendment) Bill, special courts briefing |
Committee meetings are held in session time too, but a notice often says it will move if the House sits. The Senate is not in session this week, so these times should hold.
Law and Justice Committee takes up the honour killings bill
The Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice, chaired by Senator Farooq Hamid Naek, will give "further consideration" to the Criminal Laws (Amendment) (Honour Killings Prevention) Bill, 2026. Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri moved it in the Senate sitting of 19 October 2026.
"Further consideration" means the committee has discussed it before and has not yet reported it back. The notice asks the Secretary of the Ministry of Interior to attend for this item.
We could not read the bill's text. The Senate's bill pages load their lists through a script that our check could not open on 10 November, so we do not know which sections the bill changes. Here is what the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) already says on honour crimes, as published on the Ministry of Law's Pakistan Code website:
- Section 299: defines an offence "in the name or on the pretext of honour" as one committed under karo kari, siyah kari or similar customs.
- Section 305: a killer cannot act as the victim's heir (wali) to pardon himself in an honour killing.
- Section 311: even if the heirs forgive, an honour killing carries imprisonment for life.
- Section 324: an attempt to murder in the name of honour carries at least 5 years.
These rules came in through amendments in 2005 and 2016, the second being Act XLIII of 2016. Our full explainer on the honour killing law in Pakistan walks through each one.
Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2026 is also on the list
The same meeting will consider the Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2026. Senator Khalil Tahir introduced it on his own behalf and for Senator Mohammad Abdul Qadir in the Senate sitting of 26 October 2026. It amends the Elections Act, 2017. The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs is asked to attend for this item.
The notice does not say which sections of the Elections Act the bill changes, and we could not open its text. Our list of Senate bills of 26 October 2026 records it among the private members' bills introduced that day.
Law Minister to brief on special courts and tribunals
The third item is a briefing by the Minister for Law and Justice on the special courts and tribunals set up under federal laws and run by the Law Ministry. The committee has asked for ten points, including:
- The legal basis and jurisdiction of each court or tribunal.
- How many are working and how many are not.
- How presiding officers are appointed, and their tenure.
- Cases filed, decided and pending, court by court.
- Courts lying vacant because no presiding officer has been named, and why.
- Monthly disposal rates, and whether new courts are needed or old ones should close.
The Attorney General for Pakistan is copied on the notice for information.
Interior sub-committee follows the FATA and PATA exemption probe
A three member sub-committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control meets at 10:30 am. Senator Saifullah Abro is the convener, with Senators Muhammad Talha Mahmood and Umer Farooq.
Its agenda is to monitor the Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) investigation into "alleged misuse of the FATA/PATA exemption scheme" and the recovery of "billions of rupees in tax evasion". FATA and PATA are the former tribal areas, now part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where some tax exemptions have applied. The sub-committee will also follow up on stolen cigarette cartons and on officials said to be involved in smuggling.
It will also review the rules for keeping seized goods in FBR and Customs warehouses: custody, inventory, storage and disposal. The notice calls the Director General of the FIA with zonal heads from all four provinces, the National Cybercrime Investigation Agency and the Inspectors General of Police of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Devolution sub-committee checks provinces' share in federal jobs
The sub-committee of the Senate Functional Committee on Devolution meets at 11:00 am. Senator Zamir Hussain Ghumro is the convener, with Senators Jan Muhammad Buledi and Poonjo Bheel.
First on its list is a compliance report from the Establishment Division on whether each province has received its share of federal appointments. That covers jobs in grades 1 to 15 filled by ministries, grades 16 and 17 filled through the FPSC, and grades 18 to 22 filled by promotion or transfer. The notice cites Article 38(g) of the Constitution, which asks the state to give all areas a fair share in federal services.
The quota itself is set by the Establishment Division. Our guide to the federal jobs quota for each province lists every share.
The sub-committee will also take:
- A report from the Auditor General on spending by federal ministries working on provincial and Council of Common Interests (CCI) subjects.
- A Finance Division briefing on how that spending appears in the demands for grants under Article 82 of the Constitution.
- Compliance reports from the CCI Secretariat and the Cabinet, Establishment and Information Divisions.
Kashmir Affairs sub-committee visits state properties in Lahore
A sub-committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit-Baltistan and SAFRON is in Lahore from 10 to 12 November. Senator Nasir Mehmood is the convener, with Senators Nadeem Ahmed Bhutto and Naseema Ehsan.
On 10 and 11 November, from 11:00 am, it visits Jammu and Kashmir State properties in Lahore. On 12 November it meets at the Chief Secretary Punjab's office on two subjects: rent collected in cash from these properties, and encroachments on Jammu and Kashmir State land. The Director General of NAB Lahore is asked to brief it on an inquiry against officials of Jammu and Kashmir State Property, Lahore.
Its terms include checking that official receipts are issued for every cash payment, that cash reaches the treasury on time, and that encroached land is mapped and valued.
What happens after a committee meeting
A committee does not pass a law. It examines a bill and sends a report to the full Senate, which then votes. A private member's bill passed by the Senate then goes to the National Assembly. Our guide on how a bill becomes law in Pakistan sets out all six stages.
So nothing in today's meetings changes the law on its own. Watch for the committee's report on the two bills. The Senate usually posts a press release with photographs after each meeting, and we will report any decision once it is on the Senate's own page.
Common questions
Is the Senate in session on 10 November 2026?
No. The Senate was prorogued on Friday, 30 October 2026, and its website shows no new session. Only committee meetings are listed for this week.
When does the Senate Law Committee meet on the honour killings bill?
At 2:00 pm on 10 November 2026 in Committee Room 4, Parliament House, Islamabad. The notice says it moves to 11:30 am only if the Senate sits in the evening.
Who moved the Honour Killings Prevention Bill 2026?
Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri moved it in the Senate sitting of 19 October 2026. She is listed as Member in Charge for the bill.
What does the Elections (Amendment) Bill 2026 change?
It amends the Elections Act, 2017. The meeting notice does not say which sections, and we could not open the bill text on the Senate website on 10 November.
Can the public attend a Senate committee meeting?
The notices invite members, ministries and the media, with PTV asked to cover the meetings. They do not offer public seats. The Senate posts a press release after each meeting.
Is the FATA and PATA tax exemption still in force?
The notice does not say. It concerns alleged misuse of the scheme and recovery of evaded tax. Check the FBR's own notifications for the current position before you rely on any exemption.
About the author
Global Affairs & Political Economy Writer
Muhammad Hatim is a book lover who started writing because he enjoys it. At Pakistan Era he writes about international relations, geopolitics and the global economy, with a particular interest in South Asia and the forces behind current events.
