How does a bill become law in Pakistan?

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A bill is a draft law. At the federal level it becomes law, formally an Act of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament), once Parliament has passed it and the President has assented to it. For most bills that means approval by both the National Assembly and the Senate.

The route is set out in Articles 70 to 77 of the Constitution and in each House’s rules of procedure. This explainer follows a bill from its introduction to its publication in the Gazette, using the National Assembly’s rules as the example.

Who can propose a law

A bill brought by a minister is a government bill. A bill brought by any other member is a private member’s bill.

Under Article 70, a bill on a subject in the Federal Legislative List can start in either the National Assembly or the Senate. There are two limits. A Money Bill, which deals with matters such as taxes, borrowing or federal spending, must start in the National Assembly (Article 73). And a bill that would involve spending from the Federal Consolidated Fund needs the Federal Government’s consent before it can be introduced (Article 74).

Parliament does not legislate on everything. Article 142 gives it exclusive power over the Federal Legislative List in the Fourth Schedule, and shared power with the provinces over criminal law, criminal procedure and evidence. Other subjects belong to the provincial assemblies.

The stages inside the National Assembly

1. Notice and introduction. A minister gives notice with a copy of the bill and a signed Statement of Objects and Reasons, then moves to introduce it (Rule 120). A private member must give 30 clear days’ written notice, raised from ten days when the rules were amended in August 2026, and ask the House for leave to introduce the bill on a private members’ day, which is Tuesday (Rules 51, 118 and 119).
2. Publication. The bill is published in the Gazette (Rule 121).
3. Committee. On introduction, the bill stands referred to the standing committee for the relevant ministry (Rule 122). The committee examines it, including whether it is consistent with the Constitution, and reports back with recommendations (Rule 201). The House can vote to dispense with this stage.
4. Consideration. Members first debate the bill’s principles (Rule 126). The House then goes through it clause by clause and decides on any amendments (Rules 129 to 136).
5. Passing. A motion is moved that the bill be passed (Rule 137). An ordinary bill needs a majority of the members present and voting (Article 55).
6. Transmission. The bill is sent to the Senate with a message (Rule 140).

The Senate takes a bill through its own stages under its own rules, which Article 67 allows each House to make. A bill that starts in the Senate travels the same road in the opposite direction.

When the two Houses disagree

Article 70 covers three outcomes in the second House.

• Passed without changes: the bill goes to the President.
• Passed with amendments: it returns to the House where it began. If that House accepts the amendments, it goes to the President.
• Rejected, not passed within 90 days of being laid, or amended in a way the first House will not accept: the House where the bill began can ask for it to be considered in a joint sitting of both Houses.

In a joint sitting, the bill passes with a majority of the members present and voting. Because the National Assembly has 336 seats and the Senate 96, the Assembly’s numbers weigh more heavily there. An earlier arrangement, a Mediation Committee under Article 71, was removed by the Eighteenth Amendment in 2010.

The President’s assent

Under Article 75, the President has ten days to do one of two things: assent to the bill, or return it to Parliament with a message asking for the bill, or a particular provision, to be reconsidered. A Money Bill cannot be returned.

A returned bill is reconsidered in a joint sitting. If it is passed again, with or without amendment, it goes back to the President, who must assent within ten days. If that does not happen, assent is deemed to have been given.

Once assent is given or deemed, the bill becomes an Act and is published in the Gazette (Rule 153).

Money Bills, constitutional amendments and ordinances

Money Bills. These start in the National Assembly. A copy goes to the Senate, which has 14 days to make recommendations. The Assembly may pass the bill with or without them, and it then goes to the President (Article 73). If there is a question about whether a bill is a Money Bill, the Speaker’s decision is final.

Constitutional amendments. Article 239 sets a higher bar: two-thirds of the total membership of each House, voting separately. That is 224 votes in the National Assembly and 64 in the Senate. Article 239 provides no joint-sitting route, so neither House can be overridden. An amendment that would alter a province’s limits also needs two-thirds of that province’s assembly. The most recent amendment in the official text is the Twenty-seventh, enacted as Act No. 32 of 2025.

Ordinances. When neither House is in session, the President, who acts on the advice of the Cabinet or Prime Minister under Article 48, may promulgate an ordinance if immediate action is needed (Article 89). It has the same force as an Act but stands repealed after 120 days unless a House extends it, once, for another 120. A House can also disapprove it by resolution. An ordinance laid before Parliament is treated as a bill.

This explainer is part of the series Pakistan Politics Explained.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take for a bill to become law?

There is no fixed timetable. The Constitution sets only a few clocks: 90 days in the second House before a joint sitting can be sought, 14 days for the Senate’s recommendations on a Money Bill, and ten days for the President’s decision.

Can the President veto a bill?

Not permanently. The President can return an ordinary bill once. If a joint sitting passes it again, assent must follow within ten days or is deemed to have been given.

What happens to pending bills when the National Assembly is dissolved?

Under Article 76, a bill pending in the National Assembly lapses, and so does a bill the Assembly has passed that is still pending in the Senate. A bill pending in the Senate that the Assembly has not yet passed does not lapse.

Can someone who is not in Parliament introduce a bill?

No. Under the rules, bills are introduced by ministers or by other members. Members of the public cannot introduce one directly.

Sources

• Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, as amended up to the Twenty-seventh Amendment (Ministry of Law and Justice edition, published by the National Assembly and listed as amended to 21 November 2025): Articles 48, 55, 67, 70 to 77, 89, 142 and 239.
• Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007 (as modified up to 18 August 2026): Rules 51, 118 to 156 and 201.
• National Assembly of Pakistan, Downloads: the page listing the current editions of both documents.
• Senate of Pakistan, Frequently Asked Questions: the Senate’s own definition of a bill.

Sources accessed on 8 October 2026.