What happened
Pakistan’s Senate on 10 February 2026 passed several legislative measures reported by standing committees, covering environmental concerns, criminal law reform, human trafficking, cybercrime regulation and amendments to the Pakistan Penal Code, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
A bill moved by Senator Sherry Rehman to prohibit the use of plastic covers on books sold within the Islamabad Capital Territory was approved by the chair and passed by the House. The legislation is intended to curb plastic waste and promote environmentally responsible practices in the federal capital.
Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri presented several bills that the Senate subsequently passed. They included the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which proposes changes to the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860, and the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, to strengthen provisions governing criminal justice procedures.
The House also approved the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which seeks to enhance the legal framework against human trafficking and improve enforcement mechanisms.
Why it matters
The Senate also passed the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Bill, 2024, introducing further changes to cybercrime legislation amid concerns over digital security and online offences.
Separately, the House adopted the Pakistan Penal Code (Amendment) Bill, 2024, described as updating penal code provisions to address emerging legal and societal challenges.
The sitting showed the upper house working through a package of committee-cleared bills spanning environment, criminal justice and digital regulation in a single session.
What is still uncertain
The report did not give the vote counts for each bill, the detail of the specific clauses amended, or the timeline for the measures to move to the National Assembly and then to the president for assent.
Sources & reporting notes
This article summarises published reporting, not eyewitness coverage. Sources were reviewed on 10 February 2026.
- Associated Press of Pakistan — "Senate passes series of bills after standing committees review"10 February 2026 · Lists the bills passed, their sponsoring senators and the areas each measure addresses.
