NA Session: Six Bills Passed, 16 Introduced amid Low Attendance

ISLAMABAD, March 30, 2015: The 20th session of the National Assembly was marked by the passage of six government bills as the House witnessed low attendance of lawmakers and excessive use of points of order, says Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN). The session, comprising nine sittings, started on March 16 and concluded on March 27. On average, each sitting started 30 minutes behind the schedule and lasted two hours and 32 minutes.

 
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Punjab Assembly Condemns Attack on Christian Community

ISLAMABAD, March 27, 2015: The Punjab Assembly witnessed thin attendance of lawmakers on Friday as the House passed a resolution to condemn the attack on Christians in Lahore earlier this month, says Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN). The sitting started two hours and 14 minutes late with 65 legislators (18%) present at the start…

 
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National Assembly Leaves Entire Agenda Unaddressed

ISLAMABAD, March 27, 2015: The National Assembly’s 20th session was prorogued as the ninth sitting concluded without addressing any agenda item on Friday, says Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN). The agenda included four ordinances, two legislative bills, two calling attention notices, three standing committee reports and a motion to debate the recent petrol crisis.…

 
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NA Passes Three Bills as Low Attendance Persists

ISLAMABAD, March 26, 2015: The National Assembly passed three government bills amid low attendance of lawmakers on Thursday, says Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN). The sitting started 18 minutes behind the schedule with 41 lawmakers (12%) present at the start and 10 (3%) at the time of adjournment. The quorum was visibly lacking at…

 
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National Assembly Passes Two Bills amid Low Attendance

ISLAMABAD, March 25, 2015: The National Assembly passed two government bills amid low attendance of lawmakers on Wednesday, says Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN). The sitting started 27 minutes behind the schedule with 49 lawmakers (14%) present at the start and 45 (13%) at the time of adjournment. The quorum was visibly lacking at…

 
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Election tribunals decide three cases in February 2015

ISLAMABAD, March 25, 2015: The election tribunals constituted by the Election Commission of Pakistan decided three cases in February 2015 – bringing the total number of decided cases to 367 out of 411. As many as 44 petitions are still awaiting decisions. Of the 367 cases, 154 have been dismissed on grounds of technical deficiencies – implying that the merits of the petitions were not adjudicated on. Forty-four petitions have been accepted; 25 dismissed due to non-prosecution; 30 dismissed as withdrawn and 112 dismissed after complete trial. The reasons for dismissal of two petitions are not known to FAFEN due to non-availability of their copies of orders.

 
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Five Bills Introduced in National Assembly

ISLAMABAD, March 24, 2015: The National Assembly sitting started an hour behind the schedule but addressed most of its agenda on Tuesday, says Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) in its daily factsheet. The agenda included seven bills, of which five were introduced and referred to the relevant standing committees while the remaining two were…

 
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POs Consume 76% of NA Sitting

ISLAMABAD, March 20, 2015: The National Assembly left its entire agenda unaddressed as points of order (POs) consumed 76% of the sitting on Friday, says Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN). The agenda included two calling attention notices (CANs) regarding appointment of fifty new officers on deputation in the Pakistan International Airlines and discontinuation of…

 
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Lack of Quorum Marks Fourth NA Sitting

ISLAMABAD, March 19, 2015: Starting 28 minutes behind the schedule, the National Assembly continued to witness low attendance as only 43 legislators (13%) were present at the start and 26 (8%) at the adjournment of the fourth sitting of the ongoing 20th session on Thursday, says Free and Fair Election Network in its daily factsheet.…

 
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Low Attendance Persists in National Assembly

ISLAMABAD, March 18, 2015: The third sitting of the National Assembly’s 20th session was marked by low attendance of lawmakers – with 40 legislators (12%) present at the start and 36 (11%) at the time of adjournment, says Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) on Wednesday. The quorum was visibly lacking at various stages of…

 
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