The National Assembly’s 26th Session, spanning over six sittings, showed marked improvement in smooth running of the House. The start of proceeding of the...
The election on the vacant seat of the National Assembly’s Speaker remained the highlight during its 25th session that started on November 6, 2015 and was concluded on November 11, 2015. Members of the National Assembly elected Sardar Ayaz Sadiq as Speaker with majority vote during second sitting of the session. Mr. Sadiq had previously served as Speaker of the National Assembly from June 3, 2013 to August 22, 2015.
ISLAMABAD, August 13, 2015: The 24th session of the National Assembly was marked by the passage of twelve government bills and adoption of nine resolutions as the House continued to witness low attendance of lawmakers, says Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN). The session, comprising 14 sittings, started on July 27 and was prorogued on August 13, 2015. On average, each sitting started 32 minutes behind the schedule and lasted three hours and four minutes.
The third Joint Session of the Parliament was called on September 2, 2014 to discuss the current political situation in wake of Islamabad dharnas by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) against the alleged rigging in General Elections 2013 and by Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) against the killing of its workers in Model Town Lahore. Under pressure by protests and amid potential risks to the stability of the system, the session was convened at the joint request of treasury and opposition parties with the purpose of demonstrating of political unity for the continuity of the democratic system.
The National Assembly’s eighth session was marked by the contentious passage of two government- backed anti-terrorism bills and the extension of terms of anti-terrorism ordinances amidst protests by the opposition benches. The long-awaited arrival of the Prime Minister and low interest of lawmakers in terms of attendance and participation was also witnessed, says Free and Fair Election Network in its report based on direct observation.
ISLAMABAD, December 22, 2013: Marked by the boycott of opposition benches over remarks of Federal Interior minister and low attendance of legislators, the 7th...
Increasing direct representation of religious minorities was proposed in a bill seeking constitutional amendments in the seventh session of the National Assembly, otherwise marked by protests and boycotts against the Interior Minister’s ‘un-parliamentary’ remarks when the opposition aired reservations regarding voting procedures in the 2013 general elections as well as planned moves by the government to privatize institutions like the Pakistan International Airlines, NADRA etc., says Free and Fair Election Network in its session report based on the direct observation of the Lower House. The session saw the introduction of a private member bill which sought amendments in articles 51 and 106 of the constitution to increase the number of seats for religious minorities in the federal and provincial legislatures, and for direct elections to these seats. At present, members of religious minorities are elected to the House indirectly, through a party list system.
Low interest of the members in participation and addressing agenda items was observed in the sixth session of the National Assembly, says Free and Fair Election Network in its session report based on the direct observation of the proceedings of the Lower House. The sixth session of the National Assembly continued the trend of fifth session of leaving more than half of the agenda unaddressed, low attendance of members, absence of Prime Minister and no passage of legislation.
The National Assembly’s fifth session responded to the unfortunate and tragic incidents of terrorism, molestation of minors, and natural catastrophe in September 2013 by debating them and adopting resolutions. The House adopted supplementary resolutions jointly brought in by members of various parties to condemn the suicide attack on the church in Peshawar, incidents of rape of minor girls, killings of army men in Upper Dir, and expressed sympathies along with calls for rehabilitation of the earthquake survivors in Balochistan. Four government and five private members bills were introduced during the session as the House left more than 60% of the private members’ agenda unaddressed.
The National Assembly's fourth session was marked by the introduction of two treasury-backed bills and the formation of 34 Standing Committees while the House left 79% of the agenda on the orders of the day unaddressed. Low attendance and participation of lawmakers was observed during the session. The government introduced the Constitution (23rd Amendment) Bill seeking 20-year extension for provincial quota in the federal government services. This is the third extension by amending the article 27 of the constitution to provide “safeguards against discrimination in services”. Additionally, apart from the Service Tribunals (Amendment) Bill 2013, the Civil Servants (Amendment) Ordinance 2013 and the Electoral Laws (Amendment) Ordinance 2013 were introduced during the session.
