ISLAMABAD, September 2, 2014: Starting 51 minutes behind the schedule, the joint session of the Parliament debated the prevailing political situation in the country during its first sitting on Tuesday, says the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN).
Adopting a motion sponsored by the Minister for Science and Technology, the House debated the political situation for three hours and 12 minutes. Six lawmakers including the Interior Minister , the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, PkMAP Parliamentary Leader in National Assembly, JUI-F Parliamentary Leader in the National Assembly and one lawmaker each from MQM and PTI took part in the debate.
The Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and the Deputy Chairman Senate attended the sitting while the Senate Chairman was not present. PTI lawmaker Makhdoom Javed Hashmi announced his resignation from the National Assembly.
Following are some key observations of the parliamentary business:
Members’ Participation in House Proceedings
- The joint sitting lasted three hours and 24 minutes.
- The sitting started at 1151 hours against the scheduled time of 1100 hours, witnessing a delay of 51 minutes.
- The National Assembly Speaker chaired the entire sitting.
- The Prime Minister attended the entire sitting while the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly was present for three hours and seven minutes.
- The Leader of the House and the Opposition Leader in the Senate attended the entire sitting.
- A total of 251 lawmakers (56% of the total membership of 446 – 342 in NA and 104 in Senate) were present at the outset of the sitting while 232 (52%) were there at the adjournment. A maximum of 310 members (70%) were observed to be present at one point during the sitting.
Representation and Responsiveness
- Adopting a motion sponsored by the Minister for Science and Technology, the House debated the prevailing political situation in the country for three hours and 12 minutes.
- Six lawmakers – the Minister for Interior, the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, the parliamentary leaders of PkMAP, JUI-F and one MNA each from MQM and PTI – participated in the debate.
Transparency
- Information on members’ attendance was not available to the 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 Parliament proceedings conducted by Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI); a member organization of FAFEN. Errors and omissions excepted
