National Assembly Sitting Adjourned due to Death of Lawmaker

ISLAMABAD, January 14, 2015: Starting 26 minutes behind schedule, the 11th sitting of the National Assembly’s 17th session was adjourned due to the demise of PML-N lawmaker Rai Mansab Ali Khan, says Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN).

The sitting, that lasted 34 minutes, started at 1126 hours and ended at 1200 hours. The Prime Minister did not attend the sitting while the Opposition Leader was present for 31 minutes.

Seventy-eight lawmakers (23%) were present at the start of the sitting and 112 (33%) at the time of adjournment. A maximum of 120 members (35%) were seen at one point of the sitting. Following are some key observations of the parliamentary business:

Members’ Participation in House Proceedings

  • The National Assembly met for 34 minutes.
  • The sitting started at 1126 hours against the scheduled time of 1100 hours.
  • The Deputy Speaker presided over the entire sitting as the Speaker was absent.
  • The Prime Minister did not attend the sitting while the Opposition Leader was present for 31 minutes.
  • The parliamentary leaders of MQM, JI and PkMAP attended the sitting.
  • Seventy-eight members (23%) were present at the outset and 112 (33%) at the time of adjournment. A maximum of 120 members (35%) were seen at one point of the sitting.
  • Five minority members were present.
  • No member applied for leave.

Representation and Responsiveness

  • Three out of 33 starred questions appearing on the agenda were answered by the relevant departments, while the MNAs also raised six supplementary questions.

 Order and Institutionalization

  • Members spoke on twelve points of order for 12 minutes and paid tribute to the deceased lawmaker.

Transparency

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

To download the document, click here


This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of FAFEN and in no way 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.