ISLAMABAD, September 13, 2012: The National Assembly, which met for three hours and 10 minutes during the last sitting of the 45th session, suspended the regular agenda and adopted two resolutions.

Through a resolution the House called upon the governments of Sindh and Punjab to set up judicial commissions to probe factory fires in Karachi and Lahore which have claimed more than 270 lives. The House also adopted a resolution to condemn the airing of an anti-Islam video on social media. Nineteen MNAs – six each of PPPP and PMLN, three PML, two MQM, and one MMPA and an Independent – spoke on the two resolutions for two hours and 14 minutes.

The Prime Minister did not attend the proceedings while the Leader of the Opposition was present for 21 minutes. The Chief Whips of PPPP, MQM, PMLN, MMAP, NPP, BNPA and PML were present.

Only three out of 23 questions were taken up and responded to by the relevant Minister. Additionally six supplementary questions also asked.

A minority PML legislator walked out of the House after he was not allowed to point out lack of quorum.

Seven points of order consumed eight minutes.

Members’ participation in House proceedings

• The National Assembly met for three hours and 10 minutes.
• The sitting started at 1100 hours instead of the scheduled starting time of 1000 hours. The proceedings started 60 minutes late.
• The Speaker chaired the sitting for an hour and 23 minutes while the remaining time was presided by the Members of Panel of Chairpersons. The Deputy Speaker was also present.
• The Prime Minister did not attend the proceedings while the Leader of the Opposition was present for 21 minutes.
• The parliamentary leaders of PMLN, NPP and BNPA were present.
• The Chief Whips of PPPP, MQM, PMLN, MMAP, NPP, BNPA and PML were present.
• A total of 38 (11%) Members were present at the outset while there were 55 (16%) at the end of the sitting. A maximum of 110 Members were present at one point of the sitting.
• Eight minority Members were present.
• The House took a 30-minute prayer break.

Representation and Responsiveness

• Two Calling Attention Notices – delay in the payment of scholarships by HEC to students studying abroad and forced retirement and transfer of 15,000 PTCL employees to far flung areas in the country – were not taken up by the House.
• Only three out of 23 questions were taken up and responded to by the relevant Minister. Additionally six supplementary questions were asked.

 Output

• Two bills – the Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan Bill 2012 and the Gwadar Port Authority Bill 2012 – were not taken up by the House.

• The House adopted two resolutions.  The House called upon the governments of Sindh and Punjab to set up judicial commissions to probe factory fires in Karachi and Lahore which have claimed more than 270 lives. The House also adopted a resolution to condemn the airing of an anti-Islam video on social media.

 Order and institutionalization 

• Seven Points of Order consumed eight minutes. However, none of the Points of Order attracted the Chair’s formal ruling.
• ANP parliamentarians continued boycott of the proceedings over the issuance of local government ordinance in Sindh.
• A Minority Member of PML staged a walkout because – the House did not allow him to point out the quorum. He walked out at 1123 and did not come back.

  Transparency 

• Orders of the Day were available to legislators, observers and others.
• Information on Members’ attendance was unavailable to observers and the public.

The Daily Factsheet is based on direct observation of National Assembly proceedings conducted by Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI), a Member organization of FAFEN.