The Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat postponed a decision on a proposed amendment to the Cannabis Control and Regulatory Authority Act, 2025, during a meeting at the Parliament Lodges on Friday. The amendment, introduced by Senator Dr. Afnan Ullah Khan, seeks to earmark one percent of the Authority’s yearly budget for community welfare programs. These initiatives include rehabilitation facilities for individuals struggling with substance abuse, poverty reduction schemes, vocational training, job creation, and women’s empowerment projects. The committee, chaired by Senator Rana Mahmood-ul-Hassan, instructed the Cannabis Authority to present the proposition to its governing body and provide official suggestions.
Senators Farooq Hamid Naek, Fawzia Arshad, Dr. Afnan Ullah Khan, and Shahadat Awan were present at the meeting, joined by invited Senators Bilal Khan Mandokhail and Sardar Al Haj Muhammad Umer Gorgaij. The committee also examined a question from Senator Shahadat Awan regarding the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s (PTA) deployment responsibilities and the absence of a formal structure for right-of-way management. This subject was also deferred, pending a detailed briefing from the Ministry of Information Technology at the subsequent meeting.
The National Engineering Services Pakistan (NESPAK) Managing Director provided a comprehensive overview of the organization’s accomplishments over the last three years. NESPAK reportedly finished 4,822 ventures both domestically and globally, with 595 undertakings completed in 40 nations, including Afghanistan, UAE, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Trkiye, and others. The firm has also established collaborations with domestic and international companies, reportedly generating favorable outcomes. The committee deferred this topic for further examination, requesting a roster of NESPAK’s current projects for the next meeting. Several outstanding agenda items were postponed due to the absence of committee members.