ISLAMABAD, May 4, 2012: Starting 97 minutes behind schedule, the seventh sitting of Sindh Assembly’s 35^th session, which met for an hour and 23 minutes on Friday, discussed law and order in the province.

Four PPPP Members spoke on the Motion on the law and order in the province. However MQM legislators did not take part in the debate maintaining the law and order should be discussed when the Chief Minister is present in the House.

The sitting was marked by low attendance as 20 legislators were present at the start while 48 were there when the sitting was adjourned

The Chief Minister did not attend the sitting. Only the parliamentary leader of MQM was present while those of PML, PMLF, ANP, PML (F-B) and NPP did not attend the sitting.

The following are some key observations of the parliamentary business:

 Members’ Participation in House Proceedings

• The Sindh Assembly met for an hour and 23 minutes.
• The sitting started at 1107 hours instead of the scheduled starting time of 0930 hours. The proceedings were delayed by 97 minutes.
• The Deputy Speaker chaired the sitting while the Speaker did not attend the sitting.
• The Chief Minister did not attend the sitting.
• Only the parliamentary leader of MQM was present while those of PML, PMLF, ANP, PML (F-B) and NPP did not attend the sitting.
• Twenty (12% of 165) Members were present at the start while 48 (29%) were there when the sitting was adjourned.
• Four minority Members were present during the proceedings.

 Representation and Responsiveness

•  The Question Hour was not held as the law Minister moved a motion to suspend it to discuss the law and order in the province.

• An Adjournment Motion on the Agenda was not taken up by the House.

 Output

• No Bill was appeared on the Orders of the Day.

 Order and Institutionalization

• Seventeen Points of Order consumed 24 minutes of the sitting time. None of them attracted the Chair’s formal ruling.
• There were no instances of protests, boycotts or walkouts.

 Transparency

• Orders of the Day were available to Legislators, observers and others.
• Information on Members’ attendance was unavailable to observers and the public.

 

 The Daily Factsheet is based on direct observation of Sindh Assembly proceedings conducted by Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), a member organization of FAFEN