Seeks amicable solution to Saudi Arabia-Qatar dispute

ISLAMABAD, June 8, 2017: The National Assembly on Thursday adopted two resolutions to condemn terrorist attacks in Iran and  express deep concerns over rift in the Gulf region including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, says Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN).

Following are key observations of the proceedings during 11^th sitting of the 43rd session:

 Members’ Participation

• The National Assembly met for four hours and 47 minutes.
• The sitting started at 1146 hours against the scheduled time of 1100 hours.
• The Speaker presided over the sitting for an hour and 17 minutes while rests of the proceedings were chaired by a member of Panel of Chairpersons.
• The Leader of the House (Prime Minister) did not attend the sitting while the Leader of the Opposition remained present for an hour and 44 minutes.
• As many as 65 lawmakers (19%) were present at the outset and 8 (2%) at the adjournment of the sitting.
• The parliamentary leaders of JI, PPPP, QWP-S, PkMAP, ANP, APML, BNP-A and AMLP attended the sitting.
• Six minority lawmakers were also present.

Output

• Tabled by Minister for Law and Justice, the House adopted a resolution to condemn the terrorist attacks on Iranian Parliament and mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini.
• Tabled by QWP-S lawmaker, the House adopted another resolution to express deep concerns over rift in the Gulf region and called upon the government to take concrete steps towards forging unity among the Muslims Ummah.

Representation and Responsiveness

• Sixteen lawmakers took part in the general discussion on the federal budget for the year 2017-2018. The discussion consumed two hours and 48 minutes (59%) of the proceedings.

Order and Institutionalization

• The Opposition lawmakers walked out of the House at 1342 hours for not airing their speeches live on state-run television. They did not return till the adjournment of the sitting.
• A PML-N lawmaker belonging to FATA walked out of the House at 1433 for not getting permission to speak on the federal budget. He also did not return to the House till adjournment of sitting.
• Four Points of Order consumed eleven minutes of the proceedings.

Transparency

• ‘Orders of the Day’ was available to the legislators, observers and public.
• Information on Members’ attendance is available on the National Assembly website.

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This daily factsheet is based on direct observation of the National Assembly’s proceedings, conducted by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN). Errors and omissions are excepted