ISLAMABAD, September 18, 2014: The 9^th sitting of the ongoing 3^rd Joint Session of the Parliament continued to witness low attendance of legislators as only 27 were present at the start of the sitting while 79 were there at the adjournment, says the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN).

The Parliament continued the debate on the Motion regarding the prevailing political situation in the country.  Six legislators–one each of PkMAP, MQM, PPPP, PTI, PML-N and an Independent candidate – took part in the debate.

The Prime Minister and his counterpart, the Leader of the Opposition, did not attend the sitting.

Following are some key observations of the parliamentary business:

Members’ Participation in House Proceedings

• The Joint Sitting lasted three hours.
•  The sitting started at 1132 hours against the scheduled time of 1100 hours, witnessing a delay of 32 minutes.
• The Speaker chaired the entire sitting. The Deputy Speaker was also present. The Chairman Senate and the Deputy Chairman did not attend the sitting.
•  The Prime Minister and his counterpart, the Leader of the Opposition, did not attend the sitting. The Leader of the House in Senate did not attend the sitting while the Leader of the Opposition in Senate was present for an hour and 25 minutes.
• Twenty-seven legislators (6% of the total membership of 446 – 342 in NA and 104 in Senate) were present at the outset of the sitting while 79 (18%) were there at the adjournment. A maximum of 128 members (29%) were observed to be present at one point during the sitting.
• The NA parliamentary leaders of PTI, APML, PML and AMLP did not attend the sitting.  Similarly, Senate’s parliamentary leaders of MQM and PkMAP were not present.
• Five minority lawmakers attended the sitting.

Representation and Responsiveness

• Six parliamentarians–one each of PkMAP, MQM, PPPP, PTI, PML-N and an Independent candidate- took part in the debate on Motion regarding the political situation in the country.
  

Order and Institutionalization

• Three Points of Order consumed four minutes of the sitting time. However, none of the Points of Order attracted the Chair’s formal ruling. Unless, the Chair gives a formal ruling on a Point of Order, it doesn’t lead to any assembly output.
• There was no instance of protest, boycott or walkout.
  

Transparency

• Information on members’ attendance was not available to the observers and the public.  

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This publication has been prepared 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 Parliament proceedings conducted by Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI); a member organization of FAFEN. Errors and omissions excepted.