Senate’s 97th session was marked by the introduction of six private members’ bills, three of them seeking amendments in the constitution. The three bills sought amendments in articles 1, 51 and 106 and 140A of the constitution to empower the parliament to create new provinces, give workers representation in the national and provincial assemblies, and to provide for specified time in the constitution for holding local government elections.

Additionally, the Un-attended Orphans (Rehabilitation and Welfare) Bill 2013, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Amendment) Bill, 2013 and the Pakistan Pharmacy Council Bill 2013 were also introduced during the session.

The 12-day session starting from 19 till 30 August 2013 lasted 30 hours and 31 minutes. Each sitting, on average, met for three hours and three minutes witnessing an average delay of 45 minutes. The session witnessed 13 walkouts by government and opposition parties.

Low attendance of Senators persisted during the session. Eight Senators, on average, were observed at the outset, 23 at the adjournment and maximum 40 at any one point during a sitting. The quorum, visibly lacking on various occasions, was pointed out once by a PPPP Senator.

Overall, out of 63 participating Senators, seven tabled agenda, 47 debated it and nine Senators did both. Fourteen women Senators (total strength 17) and 49 male Senators (total strength 86) participated in the session. The Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition attended all 10 sittings. The Chairman chaired the proceedings for 67% of the session time, Deputy Chairman for 16 % while the remaining proceedings were chaired by the members of Panel of Presiding Officers.

Moved by a PPPP Senator, the House admitted an adjournment motion to discuss the August 15 armed standoff on Islamabad’s Jinnah Avenue. Senators belonging to PPPP, ANP, PML, BNP-A, PkMAP and MQM shared their views on the incident.

Two calling attention notices moved by PML and PPPP Senators on increase in prices of electricity and a proposal to privatize Pakistan Steel Mills respectively were taken up. Eight Standing Committee reports were presented before the House.

Six out of 13 resolutions were adopted. The resolutions condemned unprovoked aggression by Indian Army across the Line of Control (LoC), crackdown on protesters by Egypt’s military rulers and use of force against unarmed civilians. The House also called upon the government to eradicate the manufacturing and sale of spurious and substandard drugs in the country, adopt international standards on global warming to control environmental pollution, and congratulated a PPPP Senator on getting a doctorate degree in philosophy.

Senators submitted 205 starred questions. Of them, 67 questions were taken up and received answers from the relevant ministries. Additionally, Senators asked 120 supplementary questions.

A debate on the presidential address to parliament’s joint session on June 10, 2013 lasted four hours and 40 minute. Out of 22 Senators who took part in the debate, 11 were from PPPP, four PML-N, three ANP, two MQM and a single Senator each from JUI-F and BNP-A. None of the six motions under rule 218 was taken up during the session.

The motions called for debating the performance of Pakistan Railways, night phone call packages, opening of Taliban office in Doha, non-payment of compensation to decree holders of land acquired for AFV rangers in Nowshera, procedure for appointing judges in superior courts and alleged irregularities/rigging in elections 2013.

Senators spoke on 58 points of order for two hours and forty minutes – 9 % of the session time.

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