• PTI opposes law; PML-N supports it despite earlier reservations
• House passes CSR bill mandating 1pc profit spending by large firms
• Questions raised by minister over 18th Amendment spark controversy
• Tallal Chaudhry says Imran is in good health, receiving facilities under jail rules
• Illegal occupation of railway land by govt departments being regularised, NA told
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Wednesday passed a bill seeking secrecy of lawmakers’ assets, a move that had been opposed by the PML-N and PTI in August last year. Interestingly, the bill, moved by PPP’s Shazia Marri, had faced opposition from both parties during a committee meeting in August, but this time the PTI was the only party to oppose it.
The bill was taken up for immediate consideration soon after National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs Chairman Rana Iradat Sharif Khan presented the committee’s report.
Under Section 137 of the Elections Act, all members of parliament and provincial assemblies are required to submit to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), on or before Dec 31 each year, a statement of their assets and liabilities, including those of their spouses and dependent children. Section 138 of the Act requires the ECP to publish these declarations in the official gazette.
The proposed amendment to Section 138 seeks to insert a proviso stating: “Provided that the Speaker of the concerned Assembly or, as the case may be, the chairman of the Senate may, on an application made by a member and for reasons to be recorded in writing, by a ruling delivered in the chamber, determine that the statement of assets and liabilities of that member shall not be published publicly by the Commission if such publication would pose a serious threat to the life or safety of the member or, as the case may be, his family, for a period not exceeding one year at a time and subject to the condition that a complete and true statement of assets and liabilities shall be submitted confidentially to the Election Commission.”
According to the statement of objects and reasons, the amendment aims to strike a balance between transparency and protection of individual rights. It states that while the publication of asset declarations promotes accountability, public trust and good governance, unrestricted disclosure could compromise the personal security and privacy of parliamentarians and their families.
Speaking in the House, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar explained that although members would still be required to submit their financial statements to the ECP, these may not necessarily be made public. He said the bill empowered legislative bodies to exercise greater control over the transparency of financial disclosures.
Barrister Gohar Ali Khan of the PTI strongly opposed the amendment, arguing that the proposed changes would transfer election-related matters from the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to a constitutional court, thereby undermining the judiciary’s authority in electoral issues.
The House also passed the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) bill, making it mandatory for large companies with significant profits to spend one per cent of their profits on CSR activities. The statement of objects and reasons of the bill, moved by Dr Nafisa Shah and introduced through a supplementary agenda, stated that the corporate sector must contribute to the social and economic wellbeing of the poor and needy and help create a better environment for all.
‘Imran in good health’
Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry told the House that all facilities were being provided to PTI founder Imran Khan in accordance with the jail manual and that he was in good health. He said meetings were allowed as per the rules and shared statistics showing that 850 people, including family members and doctors, had met the former prime minister.
Responding to points raised by PTI lawmaker Shahid Khatak regarding an alleged ban on meetings and claims of solitary confinement, the minister said that such a large number of meetings had not been allowed for prisoners in the past three decades. He also criticised PTI leaders for repeatedly questioning whether Imran Khan was alive.
Tallal Chaudhry further said the government would proceed with a military operation in certain parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including erstwhile Fata. He said implementation of the National Action Plan was ongoing in consultation with provincial governments and insisted that the KP government was fully on board.
“There will be no sympathy for terrorists, and action will be taken at all costs,” he said while blaming the PTI-led provincial government for unrest in KP due to its failure to establish the Counter Terrorism Department despite ongoing militant activity.
18th Amendment controversy
Another highlight of the proceedings was renewed controversy over the 18th Amendment after comments by ministers sparked a heated debate on provincial autonomy. The issue resurfaced after Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s remarks and was further fuelled when Minister for Food Security Rana Tanvir Hussain questioned whether “everything was fine after the 18th Amendment”, referring to a recent fire incident in Karachi.
PPP MNA Naveed Qamar reacted sharply, saying Khawaja Asif’s comments should be seen as a government policy statement. He warned that any attempt to transfer municipal services to the Centre would undermine the federal structure. He criticised the defence minister for calling the 18th Amendment a “charade” and accused the government of weakening provincial autonomy.
He urged the government to focus on constitutional issues and public welfare instead of destabilising political moves.
PPP lawmaker Sehar Kamran asked Khawaja Asif to explain how the 18th Amendment was a drama, remarking that issuing an ordinance without the president’s consent and signature was the real “drama”. Senator Aliya Kamran of the JUI-F also termed criticism of the amendment inappropriate, recalling that it had been passed with the consent of the PML-N.
MQM’s Hafeezuddin said there was no harm in discussing the 18th Amendment.
Law Minister Tarar clarified that such remarks should be viewed as personal opinions rather than official government policy.
Earlier, during question hour, the House was informed that unauthorised possession of railway land by government departments was being regularised through leases under the railway land policy. Parliamentary Secretary for Railways Usman Awaisi said an anti-encroachment drive had been launched to retrieve valuable land, adding that 781.84 acres of Pakistan Railways land had been recovered between July 2024 and June 2025.
Ikram Junaidi also contributed to this report
Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2026
