The Balochistan Assembly witnessed one of its most productive sessions as the House passed 13 Bills. Some of these Bills focused on improvement in governance, protection of human rights and increase in the perks and privileges of lawmakers. The House also adopted 14 resolutions primarily seeking better governance in the province. Lawmakers’ interest in the proceedings was evident as 71% of the assembly’s members contributed to the agenda on the List of Business and/or shared their views in the on-floor debates.

To ensure a wider representation from all strata of society in the local councils, the House amended the Local Government Act (2010) on the recommendation of the Local Government Department by clubbing together the categories of peasants and workers and introducing a new category of professionals/social workers. The Provincial Cabinet, in its meeting held on January 9, 2014, had approved all amendments to the said Act.

To provide for education and the protection of women’s rights in the province, two women-centered bills; the Sardar Bahadur Khan Women University (Amendment) Bill, 2014, and the Balochistan Domestic Violence Prevention and Protection Bill, 2014, were also passed by the assembly’s.

In an attempt to promote breastfeeding and protection of public health by raising food standards, the Balochistan Breast Feeding Protection and Nutrition for Infants and Young Children Bill, 2014 and the Balochistan Food Authority Bill, 2014 were passed, respectively. Additionally, the House passed a Bill each for the introduction of local languages as additional subject at primary level, rehabilitation of victims of terrorism, and mandating free and compulsory education for children from the age of five to 16 years in primary and secondary levels.

The House passed three Bills aiming to increase the salaries, privileges and allowances of the Chief Minister, Provincial Ministers, Speaker, Deputy and MPAs to bring them at par with other assemblies on account of high cost of living, residential accommodation and transportation.

The Balochistan Sea Fisheries Ordinance 1971 stands amended as the House passed a Bill for this purpose to curb fish poaching in the province. The Balochistan Coastal Development Authority (Amendment) Act, 2014 was also passed to facilitate the above.

The session witnessed the delayed formation of Standing Committees on Revenue and Select Committee on Library (each comprising seven members) during the sixth sitting.

An amendment to the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Balochistan Assembly dealing with committees was presented before the House during the first sitting. The amendment provides for the formation of 14 Standing Committees (previously four). The amendment also reduces the members of each Standing Committee and the Select Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges to seven, and those of Select Committees on Government Assurances, and House and Library Committee, to five.

Additionally the National Finance Commission Report was presented before the House in the third sitting.

The House adopted 14 of 19 resolutions on the agenda while a joint resolution asking for blue (official) passports for members of provincial assembly was withdrawn. The resolutions adopted by the House were on governance in the province calling upon the government to address traffic, water and energy related issues in the province, ensure infrastructure development and protection from floods, issue official passports to MPAs and their spouses, payment of air service to Balochistan, establish agriculture university in Baloch districts, discourage law enforcing organizations’ from land occupation, and take notice of irregular transfers in Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL).

Only seven lawmakers conducted government oversight by submitting 75 Starred Questions to various ministries/departments. Although all questions required written and verbal replies, only ten questions received answers on the floor while the movers of 51 starred questions were satisfied with written replies provided by the ministries.

Relatively more questions were addressed to the Ministries of Interior (nine) and Planning and Development (eight).

Lawmakers tabled seven adjournment motions during the session – two were debated, four taken up but not discussed while one was deferred. The motions highlighted provincial issues including five on law and order issues while a single motion each on energy and power and governance.

Additionally, the House held a general discussion on promotion of education in the province. Twenty-three lawmakers shared their views in the debate – ten belonging to PkMAP followed by five members of JUI-F and four MPAs each of PML-N and NP. All three interventions – one general discussion on law and order and two adjournment motions – taken up for discussion, consumed nine hours and 51 minutes, 34% of the session’s time.

While speaking on points of order (POs), lawmakers highlighted more issues regarding Business of the House (21), governance (15) and terrorism (seven). As points of order did not receive the Speaker’s ruling generally they do not add to the assembly’s output.

The entire opposition staged two protests once by boycotting the session during the sixth sitting, accusing the government of nepotism, only to rejoin the proceedings the same day. The entire opposition walked out the second time over reduction of the tenure of Chairman Public Service Commission, Balochistan. The Home Minister, backed by the JUI-F, MWM and PML-N MPAs, protested for not being invited to the law and order briefing during Prime Minister’s visit to Quetta during the ninth sitting.

The House met in 10 sittings starting from January 13 till February 1, 2014 consuming about 29 hours. On average, a sitting lasted two hours and 56 minutes while remaining 51 minutes behind the schedule. The House took three prayer breaks that took 6% of the session.

Low attendance was observed and members generally left the proceedings sometime before the adjournment of a sitting. In the 65 member House, on average, a maximum 36 MPAs (55%) were observed at the beginning and 29 MPAs (45%) at the adjournment of the sittings. On average, two minority members also took part in the proceedings. The missing quorum was called only once by a female JUI-F lawmaker during the third sitting.

The Leader of the House and his counterpart the Leader of the Opposition were present during 64% of the proceedings. The former attended six sittings, while the latter eight. The Speaker chaired 59% of the session (17 hours and 23 minutes) while the Deputy Chairman 29% (eight hours and 28 minutes); the remaining time (5%) was chaired by member of Panel of Chairpersons.

Except for the parliamentary leaders of JUI-F and PkMAP all other party leaders in the House demonstrated poor attendance. The former attended all but two sittings while the latter was present in six sittings. The BNP and PML-N leaders, a BNP-A member (single member party) and the sole independent member abstained from the session.

For complete report click here