ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Friday approved a motion authorizing Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq to constitute a parliamentary committee, in consultation with the chairman Senate, to recommend electoral reforms aimed at ensuring free, fair and transparent elections in the country.
Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry moved the motion in the House, seeking the formation of a committee mandated to propose the use of modern technology in the electoral process and recommend necessary legislation.
The committee will include representatives of all parliamentary parties. The speaker will also be empowered to make changes to its composition on the recommendations of parliamentary leaders and constitute subcommittees, as required.
Earlier, responding to questions of the members during question hours’ session of the National Assembly, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhary told the house that the government is working to modernise Pakistan’s passport and immigration system by introducing electronic passports (e-passports) and upgrading technology to meet international standards.
Responding to questions during the question hour, he said all passports currently being issued in Pakistan were e-passports with embedded chips to improve security and prevent forgery.
He said modern machinery had been installed at passport offices and the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports headquarters in Islamabad. However, he said that the nationwide transition could take time due to the country’s large population and the need to provide equipment at different locations.
The minister said machine-readable passports had served their purpose, but advances in global immigration systems made newer technology necessary. He added that the government was expanding passport services to district and tehsil levels.
Applications submitted by overseas Pakistanis through Pakistani embassies and consulates were generally sent to the headquarters for e-passport issuance, he said.
He also said the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) had developed expertise that had attracted interest from other countries.
Replying to another question, the minister said around 94 percent of development work in Sector C-14 had been completed, while possession of plots in Sector E-12 had been handed over to allottees.
He added that development work in C-14 was nearing completion and the process of handing over plots was almost complete.
Minister of State for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Muhammad Awn Saqlain told the House that the Workers Welfare Fund (WWF) had 12 employees on deputation, 251 regular employees and 90 vacant posts.
He said all employees on deputation had been appointed under the prescribed rules and criteria after scrutiny by a committee working under the relevant minister.
Replying to a question about official vehicles, he said 22 vehicles were being used by Grade-20 officers of the WWF. He added that a 50 percent cut had been imposed under the prime minister’s austerity policy.
Sharing the fund’s expenditure for the past five years, he said administrative costs stood at Rs 753 million, while operational expenditure amounted to Rs 300 million.
Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Broadcasting Barrister Danyal Chaudhry told the House that Pakistan Television’s (PTV) business plan had been submitted to its board for approval after completion of the required formalities. He said the plan was expected to be approved within the next few months.
He added that the Finance Division had released funds amounting to Rs 11.73 billion and Rs 13 billion for the respective financial years.
After the question hour session, two bills “The National Book Foundation (Amendment) Bill, 2026” and “The Pakistan Climate Change (Amendment) Bill,2026” were introduced in the National Assembly.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026