ISLAMABAD, August 13, 2013: None of the agenda items were taken up on the first private members’ day in the 14th National Assembly as the lower house debated the clashes along the Line of Control (LoC) during the first sitting of its fourth session on Tuesday. Four MNAs took part in the debate that lasted an hour.
An AMLP lawmaker opened the debate by speaking for 23 minutes, followed by a single member each of PTI, PMLN and PPPP MNAs who shared their views for 18, 10 and nine minutes respectively.
Under Rule 288 of the National Assembly’s Rules of Procedure, the agenda on the orders of the day was suspended to debate LoC violations.
Later the House unanimously adopted a supplementary resolution to condemn “the unprovoked aggression of the Indian military forces across the Line of Control”. The resolution tabled by Federal Minister for Science and Technology also condemned the attack on Pakistan High Commission and the demonstration outside PIA office in New Delhi and preventing the Friendship Bus from proceeding to Pakistan.
The Speaker presided over the proceedings for 92 minutes; the remaining sitting was chaired by the Deputy speaker. The Prime Minister did not attend the sitting while the Leader of the Opposition was present for an hour and 44 minutes.
Following are some key observations of the House proceedings:
Members’ Participation in House Proceedings
- The National Assembly met for two hours and 19 minutes.A 24 minute break was observed during the sitting.
- The sitting started at 1723 hours against the scheduled starting time of 1700 hours, witnessing a delay of 23 minutes.
- The Speaker chaired 92 minutes of the sitting while the Deputy Speaker chaired the remaining proceedings.
- The Prime Minister did not attend the sitting while the Leader of the Opposition was present for an hour and 44 minutes. The Parliamentary leaders of PPPP, PTI and the single member of AMLP also attended the session.
- A total of 62 MNAs were present at the outset while 91 MNAs were there at the time of adjournment. A maximum 118 MNAs were there at one point of sitting.
- Five minority members attended the sitting.
- Six members applied for leave.
- A BNP member took oath during the sitting.
Representation and Responsiveness
- Tabled by the Minister for Science and Technology, the House adopted a supplementary resolution to condemn the recent incidents of Indian aggression along the Line of Control.
Order and Institutionalization
- Lawmakers spoke on 21 points of Order consuming 36 minutes of the proceedings.
Transparency
- Orders of the Day was available to the legislators, observers and others.
- Information on members’ attendance was not available to the observers and the public.
Disclaimer: This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of FAFEN and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union. This daily factsheet is based on direct observation of the National Assembly proceedings conducted by Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI); a member organization of FAFEN. Errors and omissions excepted.