ISLAMABAD, March 22: The 14^th sitting of Sindh Assembly’s 34^th session, which met for two hours on Thursday, passed a motion to unseat former Chief Minister and the Parliamentary Leader of PML (F-B), Arbab Ghulam Rahim, because of continuous absence from the House.

The Speaker informed the House that he has received a report from the Assembly Secretariat that the MPA has remained absent for 40 days from the House. The PML (F-B) legislators walked out after the Assembly passed a motion to unseat their leader.

Starting an hour and 40 minutes behind schedule, the sitting also passed a Resolution to mark Pakistan Day. Thirty-six (22%) Members were present at the start while 75 (45%) were there when the sitting was adjourned.

All ten questions on the Agenda were taken up. Additionally a total of 31 Supplementary questions were also asked. The relevant minister was not present in the House.

Members’ Participation in House Proceedings

• The Sindh Assembly met for two hours.
• The sitting started at 1140 hours instead of the scheduled starting time of 1000 hours. The proceedings were delayed by an hour and 40 minutes.
• The Speaker chaired the sitting for an hour and 35 minutes while the remaining time was presided over by the Deputy Speaker.
• The Chief Minister did not attend the sitting.
• The parliamentary leaders of PPPP, PMLF, PML, PML (F-B) and ANP were present.
• Thirty-six (22%) Members were present at the start while 75 (45%) were there when the sitting was adjourned.
• Five minority Members were present during the proceedings.

Representation and Responsiveness

• All ten on the agenda were taken up by the House. A total of 31 Supplementary Questions were also asked. The relevant minister was not present in the House.

Output

• There were no bills on the Orders of the Day.
• The House adopted a Resolution to mark the 23rd of March, “a historic day for the people of Pakistan, and the spirit behind Pakistan’s Resolution and to pay tribute to the leaders who sacrificed for an Independent Pakistan”.

Order and Institutionalization

• Three Points of Order consumed five minutes of the sitting time. However, none of the Points of Order attracted the Chair’s formal ruling.
• The PML (F-B) legislators staged a walkout against the motion to unseat their parliamentary leader.

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