The National Assembly in Islamabad passed six amendment bills on Monday, then put off the sitting until 11am on Tuesday because the House did not have the quorum required to continue. Opposition member Sohail Sultan raised the quorum problem during the session. Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq ordered the bells rung for five minutes so members could return to the chamber.
The bills approved included the Pakistan Study Centres (Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Travel Agencies (Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Pakistan Tourist Guides (Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Pakistan Hotels and Restaurants (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Motion Pictures (Amendment) Bill, 2026. Amendments proposed by Naeema Kishwar to the travel agencies, tourist guides, and hotels and restaurants bills were defeated by majority vote.
Ruling on parliamentary secretaries answering for other ministries
Earlier, lawmakers argued over whether parliamentary secretaries may answer questions on behalf of ministries other than their own. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, responding to an objection from Aalia Kamran, said such a secretary could answer for another ministry. The speaker ruled otherwise, saying a parliamentary secretary may respond only for the relevant ministry when its designated secretary is present.
PPP lawmaker Shazia Marri asked when the Karachi Port-to-Sukkur motorway would be built. Chaudhry acknowledged delays on the project but said work was moving forward and the motorway remained among the government’s priority schemes.
Fertiliser supply and LPG prices come under scrutiny
Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain told the House that all urea fertiliser plants were operating and domestic output exceeded national needs. He said a urea bag did not cost more than Rs4,500, and that supplies and prices had stayed stable for nearly three years. He added that DAP was available in Pakistan for Rs17,000, against Rs19,000 internationally, and that farmers were receiving government support.
On LPG, State Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik said the supply chain was under severe strain, as 900 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of gas from Qatar had been disrupted by the war. He said the government would work with the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) and provincial administrations to tackle overcharging and supply shortages. Kamran said LPG was being sold for Rs700 to Rs800 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa despite a government-set price of Rs240, while Kishwar said the gas was not available at the stated Rs280 and that load-shedding continued.
