National Assembly Committees on 10 November 2026: 89 Railway Accidents in Pakistan, Media Salaries Plan in 15 Days, 647 BISP Centres
Three National Assembly committees met on 10 November 2026: 89 train accidents this year, a 15 day deadline on unpaid media salaries and 647 BISP centres.
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Short answer: Three National Assembly of Pakistan committees met on Tuesday 10 November 2026. The Railways committee was told of 89 train accidents from 1 January to 2 November 2026, against 92 a year earlier, and deferred the Railway Board Bill. The Information committee gave the ministry 15 days to bring a plan for unpaid media salaries. The Parliamentary Affairs committee heard that BISP has set up 647 Dynamic Registry Centres.
We read all three committee press releases on na.gov.pk on the night of 10 November. The Assembly itself is not sitting. It was prorogued on 30 October, but standing committees keep meeting between sessions, and that is where most of the detail comes out. Here is what each committee heard, in plain words, and what it means for you.
Three National Assembly committees met on 10 November 2026
Three standing committees of the National Assembly met at Parliament House, Islamabad, on 10 November 2026: Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Parliamentary Affairs. Each one asked a ministry for figures, and two of them set follow-up work for the next meeting.
| Committee | Chair on the day | Main point |
|---|---|---|
| Railways (requisitioned meeting) | Ramesh Lal, MNA, acting chair | 89 accidents in 2026 so far; Railway Board Bill deferred |
| Information and Broadcasting | Pullain Baloch, MNA | Plan on unpaid media salaries within 15 days |
| Parliamentary Affairs | Rana Iradat Sharif Khan, MNA | 86 complaints sent to FIA; 647 BISP registry centres |
A "requisitioned" meeting is one that members asked for themselves, rather than one the chair called on the normal schedule.
Railways recorded 89 accidents from January to 2 November 2026
Pakistan Railways told the committee it recorded 89 accidents from 1 January to 2 November 2026, compared with 92 in the same period of 2025. That is three fewer. The ministry listed track faults, rolling stock defects, human error, road users at level crossings, sabotage and weather among the causes.
The ministry also named the background problems: old infrastructure, too little development money, trespassing, people crossing at level crossings against the rules, and fog. Fog matters right now. December and January are the worst months for it on the plains of Punjab and Sindh, and the railway has already put its own safety measures in place for that period, as set out in the railway safety emergency to 31 December 2026.
The release says Pakistan Railways aims to bring its accident ratio below 0.19 per cent under a strategic roadmap. The release does not say what that ratio is measured against, so we have not turned it into a number of trains.
Karachi Division has about 1,258 acres under encroachment
Out of 19,594 acres of railway land in Karachi Division, the ministry said about 951.28 acres are held by private encroachers and 307 acres by government bodies. Added together, that is about 1,258 acres, or roughly 6.4 per cent of the division's land. That sum is ours, not the ministry's.
The ministry said 363.907 acres were taken back over the last four years. From July to October 2026, it removed encroachments on about 8.992 acres, which it valued at Rs 305.67 million. It also shared a schedule for more removals in November 2026, but the release does not list the places.
The Railway Board Bill 2026 was deferred to the next meeting
The committee considered the Railway Board Bill 2026, a government bill, and put off its decision until its next meeting. No date was given. The bill would repeal the Railways Order 1962 and rebuild the Railway Board under the State-Owned Enterprises Act 2023, with seven independent members. It was introduced in the Assembly on 28 October 2026 and sent to this committee, the normal step described in how a bill becomes law in Pakistan.
The Information committee wants a plan on unpaid media salaries in 15 days
The Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting gave the Information Ministry 15 days to bring a clear plan for paying outstanding salaries to media workers. It expressed "grave concern" over unpaid wages and layoffs by media houses, including staff let go without notice or contract terms being met.
The ministry's secretary said the government pays its dues to media outlets regularly, and that outlets were not meeting their own obligations to staff. He also said the ministry had asked the media workers' representative body for details of unpaid salaries, and had not yet received them.
If you are a media worker owed salary, that last point is the practical one. The committee told the ministry to collect the details of pending salaries from all sides. So a written record of what you are owed, with dates, is worth getting to your union or association now.
Two more items from the Information committee
- Press Council chairman assault case. The committee deferred discussion because the matter is before a court and a ministry inquiry has 60 days to report.
- Central Board of Film Censors. The committee was told the board's name and make-up will change after recent amendments to the Motion Picture Ordinance 1979. Members raised concern that each province now certifies films on its own.
Parliamentary Affairs heard about 86 FIA complaints and 647 BISP centres
The Parliamentary Affairs committee heard that the Prime Minister's Public Affairs and Grievances Wing sent 86 complaints to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) between 1 July 2025 and 31 October 2026. Of those, 67 were about immigration issues and 19 about human trafficking and smuggling.
The FIA's own breakdown of the cases it handled was:
- Relief given in 7 cases.
- Partial relief in 7 cases.
- No relief possible in 20 cases.
- 36 cases reopened by the Grievances Wing and in progress.
- 13 cases under process.
- 3 cases pending with other agencies.
Those six groups add up to 86. The FIA also spoke about offloading at airports, which is when a passenger is stopped from boarding at immigration. If you are flying for work, the documents FIA checks before departure are the thing to sort out first.
BISP described 647 Dynamic Registry Centres
The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) told the committee it has set up 647 Dynamic Registry Centres. These are offices where families can register or update their household data for the BISP survey. BISP also described its Digital Financial Literacy Training programme for women and a Social Protection Wallet, a mobile-linked way to pay benefits instead of cash. The release gives no launch date or city list for either. For your nearest office, the BISP office addresses list the regional offices.
The National Highway Authority also briefed the committee on repairs to the Okara to Harappa road and side drains on the Mumtazabad to Gujjar Garhi section.
What happens next after these committee meetings
Each committee will take up its items again at its next meeting, but none of the releases gives a date. Committee findings do not change any law, fee or benefit by themselves. They feed into reports to the Assembly and pressure on ministries to act.
Here is what to watch for:
- The Railways committee's next meeting, where the Railway Board Bill 2026 comes back.
- The Information Ministry's plan on media salaries, due within 15 days, so by about 25 November 2026.
- A summoning notice for the next National Assembly session on na.gov.pk.
The 25 November date is our count of 15 days from 10 November. The committee did not name a calendar date. The Senate's committees also met on 10 November, and their agenda is in our report on the Senate committee meetings of 10 November.
Common questions
How many train accidents has Pakistan Railways had in 2026?
Pakistan Railways told the National Assembly committee on 10 November 2026 that it recorded 89 accidents from 1 January to 2 November 2026, against 92 in the same period of 2025.
Is the National Assembly in session in November 2026?
Not on 10 November. The Assembly was prorogued on 30 October 2026, according to na.gov.pk. Its standing committees can still meet between sessions.
What did the committee decide on the Railway Board Bill 2026?
It deferred the bill to its next meeting. It did not approve or reject it, and no date for the next meeting was given.
When must the Information Ministry report on unpaid media salaries?
Within 15 days of 10 November 2026, by our count about 25 November. The committee asked for a concrete plan of action within that time.
How many BISP Dynamic Registry Centres are there?
647, according to what BISP told the Parliamentary Affairs committee on 10 November 2026. The release does not list their locations.
How many complaints did the PM's Grievances Wing send to FIA?
86 between 1 July 2025 and 31 October 2026: 67 on immigration and 19 on human trafficking and smuggling.
Sources: National Assembly of Pakistan press releases of 10 November 2026 on na.gov.pk (Standing Committees on Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Parliamentary Affairs). Last checked 11 November 2026.
About the author
Global Affairs & Political Economy Writer
Muhammad Hatim is a book lover who started writing because he enjoys it. At Pakistan Era he writes about international relations, geopolitics and the global economy, with a particular interest in South Asia and the forces behind current events.
