This report deals with the duration of Balochistan Assembly sessions held between October 17, 2011 to April 5, 2012, the attendance of members, and maintenance of quorum [at least 1/4th (16 members) of the total membership]. FAFEN monitors observed that the quorum, which was noticeably lacking, was not pointed out. It is possible that legislators deliberately refrained from pointing out the quorum, which would have resulted in the suspension of proceedings.

None of the sittings started at the stipulated time. On an average, each sitting started 40 minutes late. This section also reviews the presence of the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Chief Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and parliamentary leaders in the House, and the overall attendance of the legislators.

As the Balochistan Assembly Secretariat did not make information public about legislators’ attendance and the time they spent in the House, it is difficult to ascertain how much time a member actually spent in the House. FAFEN conducts a headcount of members at the start and end of each sitting.

To download the complete report, please click here.