ISLAMABAD – A significant legislative development was recorded during September 2025, delivering substantial amendments and the establishment of new institutions across the sectors of health, higher education, and administrative law concerning cooperative societies in Pakistan.
Overhaul of Nursing and Midwifery Regulation; On September 26, 2025, the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council Ordinance, 2025, was officially enacted. This ordinance is a major reform, serving to comprehensively amend and consolidate the existing laws concerning the registration and training of various essential healthcare professionals. The legislative change specifically targets the frameworks governing nurses, nurse practitioners, midwives, midwifery associates, and nurse auxiliaries, with the overarching goal of standardizing and improving professional practice and education within these critical fields.
Major Expansion and Amendment in the Higher Education Sector; The legislative push began intensely on September 23, 2025, with a significant focus on higher education. On this single day, the government enacted laws to establish four new universities and introduced key amendments to two existing institutional charters.
The new institutions established include the Lahore Capital University, formally established under the Lahore Capital University Act, 2025; the South Hill University, provided for by the South Hill University Act, 2025; the University of Technology, Culture and Health Sciences, Gujranwala, established by the Act bearing its name; and the Sitara International University, facilitated by the Sitara International University Act, 2025.
Simultaneously, the legal frameworks for existing educational bodies were updated. The Lahore Institute of Science and Technology, Lahore (Amendment) Act, 2025, introduced both general amendments and specific modifications to sections 2, 3, 19, and the schedule, along with the substitution of section 12 of the original 2021 Act. Furthermore, the Punjab Educational Institutions (Reconstitution) (Amendment) Act, 2025, formally effected an amendment within the schedule of The Punjab Educational Institutions (Reconstitution) Act, 2021.
Cooperative Societies Law Repealed; The legislative activity concluded on September 29, 2025, with a crucial administrative and legal change. The Punjab Undesirable Cooperative Societies (Repeal and Re-Organization) Act, 2025, was enacted. This new legislation is significant as its primary purpose is to repeal the previously existing Punjab Undesirable Cooperative Societies (Dissolution) Act, 1993, thereby introducing a definitive shift in the framework for the administration, management, and dissolution of cooperative societies deemed undesirable.
