ISLAMABAD, December 21, 2012:  The 88th session of Senate was marked by ministerial absences, low attendance and persistent lack of quorum, says Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) in its preliminary report on Friday.  Only 43% of the agenda items appearing on the Orders of the Day were taken up. Since the Senate Secretariat does […]

ISLAMABAD, November 23, 2012: Protests and walkouts by the coalition partners and opposition parties over law and order along with low attendance of Senators marked the Senate’s 87th session, which left 73% of the agenda items unaddressed, says a Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) report. The session lasted 20 hours and 49 minutes for […]

Low attendance of senators, lackluster debates on the issues of national significance such as the deteriorating law and order, devastation caused by floods in Balochistan and increase in the prices of petroleum products marked the 86th session, which took up only 37% of the listed agenda items. The house did not take up nine resolutions, […]

ISLAMABAD, September 8, 2012: Protests and walkouts by the opposition parties and coalition partners over petroleum prices and law and order along with low attendance of Senators marked Senate’s 85th session, leaving 52% of the agenda items unaddressed, says a Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) report on Saturday. The session lasted 14 hours and […]

The 84th session was convened to debate the presidential address to the parliament’s joint sitting and the law and order in Balochistan. However the debate on the president’s address was noticeably brief, lasting only 40 minutes. The session was otherwise marked by lack of consensus among Senators on issues of national importance, low attendance and […]

The Prime Minister’s disqualification by the Supreme Court in June and the dual nationality controversy dominated the 83rd session of Senate held between 9th July and 13th July 2012. Additionally the Validation Ordinance 2012 giving cover to acts, orders, and instruments issued by the ousted prime minister during the period between his conviction and formal […]

ISLAMABAD, June 13, 2012: Major political crises including the Prime Minister’s conviction in the contempt case overshadowed the budget debate in the Upper House as only 21 Senators, less than one-fourth of the total membership of 104, spoke on the federal budget 2012-13. A report released by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) released […]

ISLAMABAD, May 11, 2012: Protests and walkouts by opposition parties and coalition partners interrupting regular proceedings, and low attendance of Senators marked the Senate’s 81st session, leaving 54% of the agenda items listed on the Orders of the Day unaddressed, says a Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) preliminary report on Friday. The session lasted […]

During the 78th and 79th sessions of the Senate between February 17 and March 9, 2012, several Bills pertaining to transparency and democracy in electoral processes, economy, human rights, domestic violence and industrial relations, were passed. Two of these Bills were amendments to the existing constitution and laws. A highlight of the 79th session was […]

During the 77th session, the Senate met for 18 hours and 15 minutes, an average of two hours and 50 minutes each day. Each sitting was delayed, on an average, by 37 minutes. The attendance of Senators was observed to be low, with an average 12 Members present at the outset and 19 at the […]