Budget Discussion Continues in Sindh Assembly

ISLAMABAD, June 13, 2017: The Provincial Assembly of Sindh continued general discussion on the Annual Budget 2017-18 with 23 lawmakers taking part in the debate on Tuesday, observes Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN).

Following are key observations of the House proceedings during sixth sitting of the 33rd session:

 Members’ Participation

  • The Sindh Assembly met for six hours and 20 minutes.
  • The sitting started at 1215 hours against the scheduled time of 1100 hours.
  • The Speaker presided over the sitting for four hours and 23 minutes while rest of the proceedings was chaired by the Deputy Speaker.
  • The Leader of the House (Chief Minister) attended the sitting for an hour and 58 minutes while the Leader of the Opposition was present for two hours and 70 minutes.
  • Forty-eight (29%) members were present at outset while 39 (24%) at adjournment of the sitting.
  • The parliamentary leaders of PPPP, MQM, PML-F and PTI attended the sitting.
  • Seven minority members were present.

Representation and Responsiveness

  • Twenty-three lawmakers belonging to PPPP (14), MQM (7), PML-F and PTI (one each) participated in the debate on Annual Budget 2017-18. The discussion continued for five hours and 47 minutes.

Order and Institutionalization

  • The entire opposition staged a protest for two minutes against the indecent remarks passed by a PPP lawmaker against the opposition members.

Transparency

  • ‘Orders of the Day’ was available to the legislators, observers and public.
  • The attendance of lawmakers was available to the media and observers.

This Daily Factsheet is based on direct observation of the Sindh Assembly proceedings conducted by Pakistan Press Foundation, a member organization of FAFEN. Errors and omissions are excepted.