Parliament Approves Cross‑House Panel to Propose Electoral Reforms

Overview

• The National Assembly approved a motion to create a proportionally composed parliamentary committee to recommend measures for free, fair and transparent elections, with the Speaker authorised to form the body in consultation with the Senate chairman and party leaders.
• The committee's mandate covers recommending the latest available election technology, preparing draft laws and constitutional amendments where needed, and forming subcommittees or replacing members on party request.
• The motion requires the committee to submit a report within a timeframe set by the Speaker after its formal notification and sets a quorum at one‑quarter of total membership.
• During the same parliamentary session, ministers said Pakistan will phase out machine‑readable passports and shift to e‑passports within about a month while existing MRPs remain valid until expiry, and released official foreign tourist arrival figures for 2024–25.
• The move builds on NADRA's existing digital ID work and upgraded passport machinery at passport offices, and it signals a broader government push to modernize electoral, identity and immigration systems that could change how citizens vote and travel.