Bipartisan NA panel to mull electoral reforms

House passes motion to form parliamentary committee PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan engages in discussion with lawmakers in the largely empty National Assembly chamber. Photo: NNI The National Assembly on Friday passed a motion to constitute a parliamentary committee comprising members of both the houses of parliament to recommend electoral reforms aimed at ensuring free, fair and transparent elections. The motion was moved by Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhary under Rule 244B of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007. According to the motion, the speaker of the National Assembly, in consultation with the Senate chairman and leaders of parliamentary parties, will constitute the committee. It will comprise members from all parliamentary parties in proportion to their representation in parliament. The motion also authorised the speaker to replace any committee member at the request of the leader of the parliamentary party concerned. The committee will recommend electoral reforms to ensure free, fair and transparent elections, including the adoption of the latest available technology for conducting elections and the preparation of draft legislation, including constitutional amendments, where necessary. The quorum for a committee meeting will be one-fourth of its total membership. The committee will submit its report to parliament within the timeframe specified by the Speaker after the issuance of the notification constituting the committee. The motion also authorises the committee to constitute subcommittees, if required. Members of the National Assembly and the Senate will be included in the committee on the basis of proportional representation, which will formulate recommendations for electoral reforms. During the Question Hour, documents submitted by the Inter-Provincial Coordination Ministry showed that more than 2.1 million foreign tourists visited Pakistan in 2024, and approximately 2.2 million arrived in 2025. Visitors from the United Kingdom, Afghanistan, the United States, Iran, Canada and China featured prominently in the figures. The arrivals from Malaysia and Thailand depicted a decline, according to the documents. Tourist arrivals from the United Kingdom increased from 503,409 in 2024 to 514,412 in 2025. Visitors from Afghanistan numbered 641,199 in 2024 and 575,674 in 2025, while arrivals from the United States declined from 261,282 to 248,665 over the same period. The number of Iranian tourists rose from 106,835 in 2024 to 152,885 in 2025. Canadian visitors increased from 116,529 to 117,600, while arrivals from China climbed from 74,093 to 85,575. Pakistan also received 43,097 German tourists and 58,578 Australian visitors in 2025.