ISLAMABAD, August 22, 2014: The National Assembly continued its debate on the political situation in the country owning to protests and sit-ins by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) in Islamabad during the 12th sitting of 14th session on Friday, says the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN).
Nine legislators – PML-N (4), PkMAP (2) and one each from PPPP, JI and an independent candidate – participated in the debate on a motion under Rule 259 that continued for an hour and 20 minutes.
The House also unanimously adopted a resolution condemning attacks and manhandling of journalists by the participants of sit-ins in Islamabad and demanded the government take notice of the incidents of violence.
The Prime Minister attended the sitting for an hour and nine minutes while the Leader of the Opposition was not present. The sitting was adjourned for 1700 hours on Monday.
Following are some key observations of the House proceedings:
Members’ Participation in the House Proceedings:
- The National Assembly met for an hour and 29 minutes.
- The sitting began at 1115 hours against the scheduled time of 1100 hours witnessing a delay of 15 minutes.
- The Speaker presided over the entire sitting and the Deputy Speaker was also present.
- The Prime Minister attended the sitting for an hour and nine minutes while the Leader of the Opposition was not present.
- One hundred and four lawmakers (30%) were present at the outset while 124 (36%) at the adjournment of the sitting. A maximum of 154 members (45%) were observed to be present at one point during the sitting.
- The parliamentary leaders of PkMAP, JI, QWP and JUI-F attended the sitting.
- Four minority members attended the sitting.
- Seven lawmakers applied for leave.
Output
- Tabled by the State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, the House unanimously adopted a resolution condemning attacks and manhandling of journalists by the participants of protests and sit-ins in Islamabad.
Representation and Responsiveness
- The House continued its discussion on a motion under Rule 259 regarding the prevailing political situation in the country. Nine legislators – PML-N (4), PkMAP (2) and one each from PPPP, JI and an independent candidate – participated in the debate for an hour and 20 minutes.
Order and Institutionalization
- There was no instance of protest, boycott or walkout.
- Two points of order consumed five minutes of the proceedings.
Transparency
- ‘Orders of the Day’ was available to the legislators, observers and others.
- Information on members’ attendance was not available to observers and the public.
This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of FAFEN and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union. This Daily Factsheet is based on direct observation of the National Assembly proceedings conducted by Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI); a member organization of FAFEN. Errors and omissions excepted
