ISLAMABAD, March 15, 2024: The Provincial Assembly of Punjab convened on Friday for the first sitting of the fourth session.

The following are key observations of the sitting:

• During the sitting, one lawmaker affiliated with the Pakistan Muslim League –Nawaz (PML-N) took an oath of membership. Lawmakers belonging to the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) staged a four-minute protest during the oath-taking ceremony.
• A total of six ordinances were laid before the assembly and subsequently referred to Special Committee No. 1. Among these, five were presented by the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, while one was introduced by the Minister of Industries.
• A zero-hour session focused on the crackdown on kite flying, including the alleged arrest of children and filing of cases against them was introduced. In response, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs clarified that no children had been arrested.
• The assembly adopted a resolution for the extension of the Punjab Civil Servants (Amendment) Ordinance 2023 (xix of 2023).
• Five adjournment motions were raised during the sitting. These were related to various issues, including the illegal occupation of land in Rahim Yar Khan, the construction of a school in PP-85 (Mianwali-i), road maintenance concerns, the absence of a trauma center in the DHQ Toba Tek Singh, and water theft impacting farmers in Layyah. These motions remain pending due to a lack of response from the relevant departments.
• During the sitting, six lawmakers raised a total of 15 points of order and spoke for 40 minutes.
• The Speaker announced a four-member panel of chairpersons, comprising Mr. Rana Munawar Hussain, Mr. Syed Haider Gillani, Mr. Ghulam Raza, and Mr. Abdullah Warraich.
• The sitting commenced an hour and 35 minutes later than scheduled and lasted for a duration of three hours and 13 minutes, including a recess lasting one hour and 23 minutes.
• As many as 155 members were present at the outset of the sitting, while 140 members were present at the end. Eight members elected on reserved seats for minorities attended the sitting.
• The session was prorogued sine die.

This factsheet is based on the direct observation of the House proceedings on March 15, 2024, by the Free and Fair Election Network.

For more updates, visit FAFEN Digital, www.fafen.org and www.openparliament.pk