The National Assembly on Friday passed a motion to form a parliamentary committee drawn from both Houses to recommend electoral reforms meant to support free, fair and transparent elections.
Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhary moved the motion under Rule 244B of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007. The House approved the step in Islamabad, clearing the way for a formal, cross-party process on how polls should be run and what legal changes may be required.
How the committee will be formed
Under the motion, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, will constitute the committee in consultation with the Senate chairman and the leaders of parliamentary parties. Membership is to reflect all parliamentary parties in proportion to their strength in Parliament.
The Speaker is also authorised to replace any member if the leader of the relevant parliamentary party asks for a change, and to set up subcommittees where needed. The quorum for a committee meeting will be one-fourth of its total membership.
What the panel is asked to do
The committee’s mandate is to recommend electoral reforms that help ensure free, fair and transparent elections. That includes looking at the latest available technology for conducting elections and preparing draft legislation. Where necessary, that work may include constitutional amendments.
After the notification that formally creates the committee is issued, the panel must submit its report to Parliament within the timeframe the Speaker specifies. Until that notify-and-report cycle begins, the motion itself mainly sets the structure and powers of the body rather than announcing finished reform proposals.
Other business in the same sitting
During question hour, Dr Chaudhary also told the House that the government is shifting passport issuance fully to electronic passports (e-passports with embedded chips). He said machine-readable passports would stop being issued within about a month, while those already issued would remain valid until they expire. He described the change as part of modernising passport and immigration systems to meet international standards, noting that a full nationwide rollout can take time because of Pakistan’s large population and the need to equip offices across the country.
Minister of State for Overseas Pakistanis Muhammad Awn Saqlain said steps had been taken against illegal immigration and that memorandums of understanding, including with Italy, had been signed to promote legal work pathways. Separately, Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Chaudhary Salik Hussain said 1,871,666 Pakistanis had been sent abroad for employment through the ministry and the Overseas Employment Corporation over the past three years.
The sitting also saw thin attendance from both sides of the aisle, according to accounts of the session. Two amendment bills—the National Book Foundation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Pakistan Climate Change (Amendment) Bill, 2026—were introduced after question hour.
Aasan alfaaz mein
National Assembly ne election reforms ke liye dono Houses ki ek joint committee banane ka motion pass kar diya hai. Is committee mein mukhtalif parties ke members shamil honge aur yeh technology aur qanoon ke bare mein tajawiz degi. Ab Speaker committee notify karein ge aur phir yeh Parliament ko report degi. Aam voter ke liye abhi koi naya election rule apply nahi hua—pehle committee ka kaam aur uski report aani hai.
