ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Tuesday approved two key bills for the federal capital – one that bans plastic covers over books and the other that imposes fine on those people who refuse administration of anti-polio drops to a child.

The private member’s day of the lower house of the parliament witnessed lacklustre interest by the members of the National Assembly and the session was delayed at the start due to lack of quorum.

The house adopted a resolution by Sehar Kamran from the PPP that stressed sporting activities among girls and women. The resolution also lauded Samar Khan for her extraordinary achievements in extreme sports.

It said: “The House commends and acknowledges the outstanding achievement of Samar Khan, a distinguished Pakistani adventure athlete, for successfully summiting Mount Elbrus and snowboarding down, becoming the first Pakistani woman to accomplish this remarkable feat. This House recognises her continued contributions to adventure sports, including being the first woman in the world to cycle across the Biafo and Godwin Austen glaciers and the first Pakistani to cycle on Mount Kilimanjaro, reflecting exceptional courage, resilience and determination. This House congratulates Samar Khan for bringing international recognition to Pakistan and serving as an inspiration for young women across the country.”

First bill imposes penalties on polio vaccine refusal cases; second bill prohibits use of plastic covers over books

The assembly activities witnessed lack of interest, which was visible not only among members but also shown by National Assembly Deputy Speaker Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah.

The only debate was over a calling attention notice by Naeema Kishwar of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) as she invited the attention of the minister for federal education and professional training towards issues faced by religious seminaries of Balochistan.

As PTI MNA Ali Mohammad Khan was not present in the house, the deputy speaker dropped the two bills forwarded by him.

The National Assembly approved the bill that penalised polio refusals and safeguarded frontline health workers.

The bill proposed by MNAs Syed Waseem Hussain, Shaista Khan, Arshad Abdullah Vohra, Syed Ali Qasim Gillani, Ahmed Saleem Siddiqui, Dr Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro, Farhan Chishti and Amjad Ali Khan, highlighted that Pakistan remained one of the only two countries where wild poliovirus continued to paralyse children.

The bill is titled ‘Polio Eradication and Rehabilitation Bill’ 2026, and is only applicable in the Islamabad Capital Territory as health is a devolved subject.

Under the bill polio immunisation has been made mandatory, and every eligible child will have to receive all doses of oral and inactivated polio vaccine in accordance with the national immunisation schedule and supplementary immunisation activities.

It added that no parent or guardian can willfully refuse or obstruct the vaccination of an eligible child, except on the basis of a valid medical contraindication certificate. For the first offence, a fine of up to Rs50,000 will be imposed, which will be increased to Rs100,000 for a subsequent offence. In some cases, people who stop administration of polio drops could even be awarded imprisonment by the court.

The bill will become a law after its enactment by the president.

Under the proposed law an ‘Immunisation Certificate’ will be issued upon successful administration of the polio vaccine to an eligible child, through NIMS, operated by the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).

Besides, no birth certificate will be issued unless the parent or guardian provides proof of the birth dose of polio vaccine or undertakes to present the child for vaccination within 15 days.

Educational institutions will have to demand a valid polio vaccination certificate at the time of admission of a child under 10 years, and in case the certificate is not produced, the child will be referred to the nearest vaccination facility.

Candidates below 18 years who are appearing for secondary or higher secondary examinations will have to produce a valid polio vaccination certificate, except where a medical contraindication certificate is presented.

No passport will be issued in ICT limits or renewed for a person below 18 years unless a valid polio vaccination certificate is presented.

The other bill presented by Senator Sherry Rehman and already approved by the Senate called on prohibiting the use of plastic covers on books sold in the Islamabad Capital Territory.

The Islamabad Capital Territory (Prohibition of Plastic Book Covers) Act 2025 will be applicable in the federal capital only as education is a devolved subject.

According to the bill, ‘plastic cover’ means any single-use plastic sheet, film or wrapping, whether transparent or opaque, used for covering books, made wholly or partially of plastic materials and which is affixed to or sold with a book.

The law will not apply on books designed with plastic components that form an integral and necessary part of the book’s construction, such as laminated hardback covers, or which are part of a special collection, library, or archive requiring plastic covering for preservation, or those books that are made of such material or such material is part of the books.

Any seller convicted under this law can be fined Rs50,000, and Rs100,000 for any subsequent offence. The ICT administration will designate authorised officers to inspect premises, seize prohibited material and issue penalties in accordance with the provision of this law.

Published in Dawn, May 13th, 2026