ISLAMABAD, January 6, 2015: The National Assembly passed the 21st Constitution Amendment Bill 2015 and the Pakistan Army Amendment Bill 2015 during the fifth sitting of the 17th session on Tuesday, says Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN).

The House passed the Constitution (Twenty-first Amendment) Bill 2015 with 247 votes as no member voted against it. The bill was moved by the Minister for Law, Justice and Human Rights and took 76 minutes for passage.

The House also passed the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill 2015 unanimously that consumed 19 minutes of the sitting. This bill was also moved by the Minister for Law, Justice and Human Rights.

The Opposition Leader spoke on the 21st Constitution Amendment Bill for 16 minutes.  JI and JUI-F lawmakers did not attend the sitting.

Following are some key observations of the parliamentary business:

Members’ Participation in House Proceedings

• The National Assembly met for an hour and 51 minutes.
• The sitting started at 1205 hours against the scheduled time of 1030 hours, witnessing a delay of an hour and thirty five minutes.
• The Speaker presided over the entire sitting. The Deputy Speaker was also present.
• The Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader attended the entire sitting.
• The parliamentary leaders of PkMAP, ANP, PML-F, MQM, PML-Z, QWP, PML and APML attended the sitting.
• Two hundred and twenty-six members (66%) were present at the outset and 231 (68%) at the time of adjournment. A maximum of 247 members (72%) MNAs were seen at one point of the sitting.
• Seven minority members attended the sitting.
• Nine members applied for leave.

Output

• The House passed the Constitution (Twenty-first Amendment) Bill 2015 with 247 votes as no member voted against it. The bill was moved by the Minister for Law, Justice and Human Rights and took 76 minutes for passage.
• The House also passed the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill 2015 unanimously that took 19 minutes for passage. This bill was also moved by the Minister for Law, Justice and Human Rights.
• The Opposition Leader spoke on the 21st Constitution Amendment bill for 16 minutes. 

 Order and Institutionalization

• JI and JUI-F lawmakers did not attend the sitting.
• No protests/boycotts/walkouts were witnessed during the sitting.

Transparency

• ‘Orders of the Day’ was available to members, observers and others.
• Information on members’ attendance was not available to observers and the public.

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This publication has been produced 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 National Assembly proceedings conducted by Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) – a member organization of FAFEN. Errors and omissions are excepted.