Chaired by Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, the committee held its inaugural meeting on Thursday.

It is the first parliamentary committee in Pakistan and the South Asian region with a dedicated mandate covering artificial intelligence and digital governance.

The meeting followed a three-day workshop for committee members, held in Islamabad from Sept 2 to 4 by UNDP Pakistan and the United Kingdom’s international development organisation. The workshop examined artificial intelligence and digital technologies, their potential benefits and risks, and the principles of responsible governance.

The committee considered an initial programme of parliamentary inquiry into the use of AI in Punjab, focusing on transparency, accountability, citizens’ rights, data security, effective remedies and meaningful human oversight.

Two provincial public service systems were identified for initial examination. The first is the Punjab Safe Cities Authority’s AI-assisted e-challan system.

The committee will examine the accuracy of violation detection, human validation of violations, citizens’ access to evidence, mechanisms for challenging and reviewing decisions, and the handling of related data.

The second relates to welfare assistance linked to the Punjab Socio-Economic Registry (PSER). The committee will examine registration and accessibility, data accuracy, eligibility assessments, explanations for adverse decisions, correction of inaccurate information and opportunities for reconsideration.

Importantly, the committee said it would establish through evidence how eligibility was actually determined — whether through manual assessment, fixed rules, statistical scoring, machine learning or a combination of these methods — rather than assuming that AI was involved.

The committee also discussed the constitutional and legal implications of emerging digital technologies, including digital harms, deepfakes, threats to democratic trust, risks to women and vulnerable groups, data governance and institutional capacity.

According to the Foreign Office (FO), the meeting was held in Islamabad on Sept 16 and 17, marking the formal launch of the commission. The BJC was envisaged under the 2013 China-Pakistan Agreement on the Boundary Management System.

“Both sides described the establishment of the commission as a vital milestone in further strengthening the Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership,” the FO said.

According to the statement, discussions at the inaugural meeting covered a wide range of matters related to border management and cooperation, including cross-border coordination, the movement of goods and people, joint border surveys and people-to-people linkages.

The meeting concluded with the signing of the minutes, reaffirming the two sides’ consensus and setting out a framework for future cooperation under the commission, the statement said.

“Both sides agreed to hold the next meeting of the commission in China on mutually convenient dates,” the FO said.

The Pakistan delegation was led by Bilal Mahmood Chaudhary, Director General (China) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the Chinese delegation was led by Li Ya, Deputy Director General of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs at China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Other representatives from the ministries of foreign affairs, defence, interior, commerce and communications, as well as customs, survey and other boundary management authorities, also attended the meeting.

The commission has its origins in the 2013 Agreement on the Boundary Management System, signed during the visit of then Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to Islamabad. Article 45 of the agreement provides for the establishment of the joint commission to oversee the implementation of border management arrangements.

The mechanism will provide an institutional framework for dealing with practical issues along the border, including the maintenance and inspection of the boundary, joint surveys, boundary marker issues, the management of cross-border facilities and the handling of incidents involving the border.

Its activation also gives the two countries a mechanism for regular coordination on a border that is important for movement between Pakistan and China, including thr­ough the Khunjerab crossing, and for trade and connectivity linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

According to a source in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the premier would proceed to the US on Saturday to attend the UNGA session.

The source said the prime minister was likely to return to the country on Sept 27 or 28 after attending the UNGA session and would again stop over in London for a day or two.

“In fact, travelling from Pakistan to the US is quite a long journey, therefore, PM Shehbaz opted to stay somewhere, preferably in London,” the source added.

According to the Foreign Office, Prime Minister Shehbaz is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on Sept 25.

“On the sidelines of the UN session, he is expected to hold bilateral meetings with world leaders and participate in high-level events,” the FO said.

The prime minister will be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, federal ministers and senior government officials during the New York leg of the visit.

“The premier will present Pakistan’s perspective on regional and global developments and highlight the country’s priorities at the UNGA,” it said.

The official theme of the 81st session is ‘Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All’, and the UNGA debate is expected to run from Sept 22 to 26, with a final sitting on Sept 28.

However, ongoing fighting between Washington and Tehran is expected to feature prominently in discussions among world leaders, particularly over the security of the Strait of Hormuz, regional stability and the possibility of finding a diplomatic way out of the confrontation.

The premier is expected to highlight Pakistan’s efforts to find a peaceful solution to the ongoing US-Iran war.

After receiving several complaints in this regard, Information Technology Minister Shaza Fatima visited various fuel stations in Rawalpindi to ensure that subsidised petrol was available to registered consumers.

A day earlier, the Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) expressed concerns that its members were unaware of the subsidy disbursement mechanism and feared they would have to run from pillar to post to recover the amount.

However, to resolve the matter, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, along with officials from the relevant ministries, held a meeting with the PPDA on Thursday to discuss the mechanism for implementing the Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Scheme.

PPDA Chairman Malik Khuda Baksh led the delegation, which joined the meeting via video link.

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) briefed the participants on the reimbursement mechanism and assured them that claims submitted under the scheme would be processed within 48 hours, ensuring timely payments to participating petroleum dealers.

The Ministry of IT and Telecommunications briefed the participants on the digital system developed to implement the scheme.

The meeting was also informed that a dedicated control room had been established to assist petrol pumps and address their queries and complaints. Petrol pumps can contact the control room at 9772 for assistance.

The meeting was further informed that funds for three months had been earmarked for the Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Scheme, with Rs25 billion for the first month already provided to SBP to facilitate timely reimbursement under the scheme.

The PPDA chairman said the Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Scheme was welcomed by petroleum dealers, but a lack of information about the disbursement of subsidy amounts was creating confusion among its members.

“We assure you that all our members across the country will support the PM’s fuel relief scheme,” Khuda Baksh said.

During the meeting, the petroleum minister appreciated the cooperation extended by petroleum dealers and emphasised the importance of close coordination among all stakeholders for the effective, transparent and timely implementation of the relief initiative.

OCAC warns of disruption

In another development, the Oil Companies Advisory Committee (OCAC) warned the government of disruption to the oil supply chain if Rs67 billion in price differential claims (PDC) pending since March 2026 were not settled.

In a letter to the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) chairman, the OCAC claimed that the pending PDC amount was equivalent to five imported cargoes of petrol.

The letter, written by OCAC Secretary General Dr Nazir Abbas Zaidi, was forwarded to the petroleum minister and the Petroleum Division secretary. It said oil companies were now unable to finance an uninterrupted fuel supply chain due to Rs66.7 billion in outstanding PDCs.

The OCAC said the situation had been further aggravated by the evolving geopolitical environment and potential disruptions to regional supply routes, including the East-West Pipeline.

The oil companies warned that the country could face significant supply-side challenges under the current regional scenario, while the oil industry’s liquidity continued to deplete due to a lack of support from the authorities.

“Any resulting supply-chain disruption must not be on account of the oil industry,” the OCAC said in the letter.

Despite repeated communications and extensive verification and audit processes, the OCAC had requested settlement by June 8, 2026, but the matter remained unresolved, it added.

“We urge Ogra to urgently conclude the verification process and release all verified and approved claims, including the approved premium differential claims relating to Motor Spirit (petrol) imports during the recent geopolitical crisis, referring to the situation arising following the US-Israeli attack on Iran at the end of February 2026.”

The OCAC said oil marketing companies (OMCs) had consistently supported the government, particularly when fuel security and uninterrupted supplies were at stake.

“Yet today, the same industry is facing an acute and worsening liquidity crisis and effectively being required to finance the supply chain while its own liquidity is being progressively drained,” the OCAC said, inviting government functionaries to meet its members at its head office in Karachi.

The OCAC also reminded the government of the need to revise OMC margins, adding that they were last revised in September 2023 and had remained unchanged despite significant increases in operating, financing, technology, regulatory and compliance costs.

The letter added that dealer margins were increased by Rs1.34 per litre in August 2026, while the approved Rs1.22 per litre increase in OMC margins remained to be notified and implemented.

“Unlike dealers, OMCs carry the full responsibility for product procurement, import financing, inventory management, logistics and ensuring product availability across the country, in addition to meeting ever-expanding regulatory and digitisation requirements, with implementation timelines being progressively compressed,” the letter said. It demanded immediate notification and implementation of the Rs1.22 per litre increase in OMC margins and the establishment of a predictable mechanism for periodic margin revisions.