ISLAMABAD, September 8, 2016: The Senate transacted most of its agenda amid multiple walkouts during the fourth sitting of its 252nd session on Thursday, reports Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) in its Daily Factsheet.
Following are some key observations of the House business:
Members’ Participation
- The Senate met for two hours and 34 minutes.
- The sitting started one minute behind the scheduled time of 1500 hours.
- A Member of Panel of Presiding Officers chaired the entire sitting.
- The Leader of the House attended the entire sitting while the Leader of the Opposition was not present.
- Parliamentary leaders of PkMAP, MQM, BNP-M, NP, JI, PTI and PML attended the sitting.
- Fourteen members (13% of the total membership – 104) were present at the outset and 24 (23%) at the end of the sitting.
- Three minority Senators attended the sitting.
Output
- The House witnessed presentation of three reports by Senate Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges, two by Standing Committee on Law & Justice on legislative proposals and one each by Standing Committee on Petroleum and Standing Committee on Defence.
- A bill – the Contempt of Court (Amendment) Bill, 2016 – was withdrawn by the PPPP lawmaker he introduced in the House on March 7, 2016.
- A periodical report on an adopted resolution related to Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination was presented on the floor of the House while another periodical report related to Ministry of Religious Affairs was deferred by the lawmakers.
- A copy of the Money Bill, the Tax Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was presented before the House seeking recommendations in it.
- The report on 1st Biannual Monitoring on the Implementation of National Finance Commission (NFC) Award (July-December, 2015) was presented.
Representation and Responsiveness
- A motion under Rule 194 (1) was passed to extend the presentation period of report on the Premarital Blood Screening (Family Laws Amendment) Bill, 2016.
- The House took up two Calling Attention Notices (CANs).The first CAN was about decline of sports and other regarding two per cent increase in 80,000 registered drugs/ medicines by the Drug Registration Board.
- The House took 25 out of 27 Starred Questions appearing on the agenda. In addition, the lawmakers also asked 27 Supplementary Questions.
- The Chair announced submission of names of those lawmakers who are willing to participate in the debate on a Motion of Thanks to express gratitude to the President for his address to both the Houses of the Parliament assembled together on June 1, 2016.
Order and Institutionalization
- The House witnessed ministerial response on three points of public importance.
- The entire opposition, few lawmakers of PkMAP as well as PML-N walked out of the House for eight minutes against refusal of the government to provide offices to the Parliamentarians who do not hold any office.
- A PkMAP lawmaker walked out of the House at 1611 hours for not taking up his question. He did not return to the House till adjournment of the sitting.
- A BNP-M lawmaker staged walk out at 1722 hours after terming the reply of Minister for Information on a Point of Public Importance unsatisfactory. He did not come back to the House till adjournment of the sitting.
- A PkMAP lawmaker pointed out the quorum at 1547 hours following which the Chair ordered the bells to be rung for five minutes. However, the quorum was found complete upon counting at 1554 hours.
Transparency
- ‘Orders of the Day’ was available to the legislators, observers and public.
- The attendance of lawmakers is available on the website.
This daily factsheet is based on direct observation of the Senate proceeding conducted by Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN). Errors and omissions are excepted