The National Assembly (NA) on Tuesday passed several important bills during its private members’ day, including the Lawyers and Bar Councils Amendment Bill 2025, the Acid and Arson Offences Bill 2024, and the Zakat and Ushr (Amendment) Bill 2025.

The session, chaired by Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, also saw MNA Riaz Hussain Fatyana present the Constitutional Amendment Bill 2025, which proposes changes to multiple articles of the Constitution, including Articles 51 and 59.

The bill suggests a new delimitation in Punjab to create a separate province named “Western Punjab,” citing population growth and administrative challenges.

Under the proposal, Faisalabad and Sahiwal divisions would form the new province, home to Punjab’s second-largest forest, a major agricultural university, and a large industrial hub — assets deemed sufficient to make the province self-sustaining.

The bill also calls for a new allocation of National Assembly seats, giving Punjab 114 general and 24 reserved seats for women, and Western Punjab 27 general and 8 reserved seats.

Changes were also proposed for Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Islamabad.

If passed, Pakistan would have five provinces plus the federal capital.

The session also reviewed a Higher Education bill presented by Syed Rafiullah, which seeks special university seats and free higher education for underprivileged communities to promote social equity and national development.

A lively moment came during discussion on the Journalists and Media Professionals (Amendment) Bill 2025, when Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah put it to a vote despite both mover Shazia Marri and Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar urging it be referred to the relevant committee. The bill was later sent to committee after amendments.

Also tabled was the Islamabad Nutrition (Fortification of Food) Bill 2025 by Shaista Pervaiz Malik.