The passage of the budget 2012-13 in the Sindh Assembly was swift and unperturbed – the entire membership being on the treasury benches. In this 36th session, the legislators spent 72% of the total time debating the budget.

The Finance Minister presented the budget during the third sitting in a speech that lasted an hour and 35 minutes. No Cut Motions, which are used to express dissatisfaction on the budgetary proposals, were moved during the session.

Overall 90 MPAs, among them 19 women, expressed their opinion on the budget for 23 hours and four minutes. No female parliamentarians representing the NPP and PML took part in the debate. The 11th sitting turned out to be the longest, spanning eight hours and 23.

Sixty percent (55 out of 92) MPAs representing the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) took part in the debate on budgetary proposals. Others who did so were from Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) 45% (23 out of 51); Pakistan Muslim League (PML) 40% (four out of 10); Pakistan Muslim League Functional (PMLF) 63% (five out of eight) and all three National Peoples Party (NPP) Members. However, the two Awami National Party (ANP) legislators remained silent.

The PPPP MPAs took almost 845 minutes to express their views on the budget while the MQM legislators needed 376 minutes; PMLF 79 minutes; NPP 48 minutes and those from the PML 36 minutes.

The Assembly met for 37 hours and 47 minutes and comprised 11 sittings from June 7 to June 25. Each sitting lasted an average three hours and 26 minutes, with each facing an average delay of an hour and 28 minutes.

The Chief Minister attended five sittings for 532 minutes while the parliamentary leader of MQM attended 10; ANP and PMLF (eight each), NPP (five) and the PML leader attended four.

Since the Sindh Assembly Secretariat does not make the attendance records of its Members public, FAFEN conducts a headcount of legislators at the beginning and end of each sitting. During the budget session the participation and attendance of the legislators registered improvement. On average 23 Members were present at the start of each sitting and 65 at the end. A total of 109 Members (65% of total

House strength) were present during the 11th sitting when the budget was passed.

The Speaker chaired the proceedings for 39% of the session time and the Deputy Speaker did so for 50% of the time. The remaining portion (11%) was chaired by Members of the Panel of Chairpersons.

The House adopted three Resolutions. The first called upon the Federal Government to enact a law on Plant Breeders Rights Protection. The second was to express sympathy with the families of soldiers buried by an avalanche at Siachen.

The Assembly also adopted a Resolution calling for strict measures against extortionists and terrorists, and providing adequate security and protection to the business community in Sindh. Additionally, the House passed the Habib University Bill 2012 and the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and

Technology (Amendment) Bill 2012. A total of 50 Points of Order consumed 6% (125 minutes) of the session time.

However, none of these attracted the Chair’s formal ruling. Unless the Chair gives a formal ruling on a Point of Order, it does not contribute to any Assembly output.

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