Constituency issues dominate National Assembly session as 58-point agenda deferred

On a largely unproductive Tuesday in the National Assembly, lawmakers consumed nearly three hours discussing local issues under the guise of "points of order". Deputy Speaker Ghulam Shah permitted over thirty members to voice concerns about matters affecting their districts. However, the deputy speaker deferred the full 58-point agenda, which included twenty private member bills.

The session saw calls for a policy statement from the Prime Minister regarding new provinces, with PPP legislator Aliya Kamran claiming her party was not consulted. The House also took up two calling attention notices - one over exorbitant fees charged by private medical colleges, and the other on river erosion in Layyah district.

MPs from various parties addressed a range of issues, from provincial and local government failings to the need for better women's safety. The opposition criticized the federal government over power outages in Sindh and questioned the slow pace of development projects in Punjab and Sindh. Some lawmakers expressed concern over rising violence against women, including the murder of a five-year-old in Haripur.

PTI lawmaker Babar Nawaz argued for a separate province for Hazara, Chitral, and Swat, citing historical claims. Meanwhile, the National Assembly is set to reconvene on Friday at 11am.