• CDA only demolishing illegal structures in Islamabad, assembly told
• MNA raises concern over non-rehabilitation of Malir families displaced by ML-1 project
• Lower house amends law to make State Life Insurance Company a statutory body
ISLAMABAD: Proceedings in the National Assembly remained sluggish on Thursday, with only one bill passed before a lack of quorum forced the presiding officer to adjourn the sitting until Friday morning.
The NA’s agenda for Thursday comprised 16 items, but the sitting was adjourned midway after a PTI MNA pointed out the lack of quorum.
A headcount confirmed that the required number of members was not present. Abdul Qadir Patel, who was presiding over the sitting, allowed some additional time for the quorum to be completed, but the number of MNAs present remained below the required 88. The House was subsequently adjourned until Friday morning.
During the question hour, the demolition of houses and other structures in Islamabad, particularly in Sector E-12, came under discussion.
Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry said the Capital Development Authority (CDA) had demolished only illegally constructed structures and houses.
He said the shortage of graveyards was one of the major problems facing the city’s administration and residents. Most private housing schemes and societies, he added, had converted plots reserved for graveyards, schools, parks and mosques into commercial properties.
Responding to a question, Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi informed the House that Pakistan Railways had recovered more than 200,000 kanals of land previously occupied through encroachments.
Regarding the Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway project, he said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would inaugurate its first phase, involving the laying of 480 kilometres of railway track between Rohri and Karachi, at an estimated cost of $2.5 billion.
MNA Syed Rafiullah said several families in Karachi’s Malir area had been rendered homeless by the ML-1 project, but had yet to be rehabilitated.
During a question concerning facilities for Haj pilgrims, PTI MNA Shehryar Afridi expressed displeasure when Parliamentary Secretary Kesoo Mal Kheal Das responded to the query.
“It would have been better if a responsible member of the treasury benches or the minister for parliamentary affairs had answered the question,” Mr Afridi said.
Mr Das responded by pointing out that a Hindu minister in India also handled Haj affairs, questioning Mr Afridi’s suggestion that the matter required a more responsible person to address it.
Mr Afridi also said some private Haj organisers had made the religious obligation prohibitively expensive, with packages costing between Rs4 million and Rs5m.
State Life Insurance Company
After Question Hour, the National Assembly passed the Life Insurance (Nationalisation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
The bill provides for the federal government to establish a company, to be known as State Life Insurance Company Limited, under the Companies Act, 2017 (XIX of 2017).
It states that the appointment of the company’s chief executive officer and board of directors will be made in accordance with the State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Act and the Companies Act, 2017.
Following the company’s incorporation under the Companies Act, 2017, the federal government will issue a vesting order, to be published in the official gazette, transferring all assets, liabilities, contracts, policies, proceedings and undertakings of the existing corporation to the company on a specified date and under terms and conditions determined by the government. The corporation will stand dissolved on the effective date, according to the bill.
The legislation further provides that all employees and officers who have served the corporation continuously for at least one year immediately before the effective date, excluding those employed under project contracts, will be transferred to the new company on the same terms and conditions of service.
Their existing rights and privileges, including pension entitlements, post-retirement medical benefits, provident fund and gratuity, will also be protected, the bill states.
Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2026