NA passes 3 bills aimed at encouraging collective cabinet decision-making

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Monday passed three bills aimed at clarifying that executive decisions involving policy, financial or administrative matters must be taken collectively by the Federal Cabinet rather than by individual officeholders, unless they are duly authorised by law, in line with a Supreme Court ruling.

The Lower House of Parliament passed the Abandoned Properties (Management) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Archival Material (Preservation and Export Control) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Centres of Excellence (Amendment) Bill, 2026, by a majority vote.

The House also introduced the Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Emigration (Amendment) Bill, 2026. The Speaker referred the bills to the concerned standing committees for consideration.

READ ALSO: National Assembly committee approves four key bills

Earlier, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhary informed the National Assembly that development work in Sector C-15 of Islamabad was around 60 per cent complete, while the process of securing possession of land was nearing completion to facilitate the allotment of plots to their rightful owners.

Responding to a Calling Attention Notice moved by MNA Naeema Kishwer Khan regarding delays in balloting and the allotment of residential plots in various sectors, particularly C-15, he acknowledged that prolonged delays in the Capital Development Authority’s (CDA) development projects had caused serious concern among allottees.

He said several sectors had remained incomplete for decades. Citing Sector E-12 as an example, he said allotment letters were issued in 1992 after the project was launched in 1985, but many allottees had waited for years to obtain possession.

The minister said the government had recently made significant progress in Sector E-12, with possession handed over for around 4,068 plots over the past one to one-and-a-half months.

He added that commercial land in the sector, which had previously been occupied illegally, had also been cleared. The recovered commercial plots were valued at more than Rs200 billion, and their sale would generate resources for development in Islamabad, he said.

Responding to another Calling Attention Notice moved by MNA Asiya Naz Tanoli regarding the dumping of garbage between sectors I-10 and I-11, which had caused environmental pollution, foul smells, potential groundwater contamination and serious public health risks, the minister said the Capital Development Authority (CDA) would shift the solid waste dumped between sectors I-10 and I-11 to a designated depot in I-9 within the next two to three months to address environmental and public health concerns.

He said the waste transfer operation had resumed, with around 700 metric tonnes of solid waste being transported daily.

He said Islamabad generated approximately 300 metric tonnes of solid waste daily, while the accumulated waste at the site had not been transferred for around six months due to certain issues.

The minister said the CDA had already developed a designated facility in I-9, which was expected to become fully operational within two to three months. Once operational, the facility would receive the city’s solid waste, eliminating the need for continued dumping at the existing site.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026