ISLAMABAD, January 8, 2015: Starting 25 minutes behind schedule, the seventh sitting of the National Assembly’s 17th session was marked by thin attendance with only 37 lawmakers (11%) present at the start and 23 (7%) at the end, says Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) in its daily factsheet.

The quorum was visibly lacking at various stages of the sitting. However, it was not pointed out by any of the members.

Five lawmakers discussed a motion under Rule 259 regarding the deadly attack in Peshawar for 73 minutes. Two PML-N lawmakers spoke for 26 minutes, followed by one legislator each from PPPP (22), APML (14) and MQM (11).

The House did not take up two calling attention notices (CANs) regarding lack of civil amenities in Sultanpur village in Havelian, Abbottabad and theft of crude oil worth over Rs20 billion from Karak Oil Field.

The Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader did not attend the sitting. The entire opposition staged a walkout for five minutes at 1249 hours against a report of taking back 650MW electricity from Karachi Electric Supply Company.

Following are some key observations of the Parliamentary business:

Members’ Participation in House Proceedings

• The National Assembly met for two hours and 47 minutes.
• The sitting started at 1125 hours against the scheduled time of 1100 hours.
• The Speaker chaired the sitting for 61 minutes while the rest of the proceedings were presided over by the Deputy Speaker.
• The Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader did not attend the sitting.
• The parliamentary leaders of PkMAP, JI, BNP, APML and MQM were present.
• Thirty-seven members (11%) were present at the outset and 23 (7%) at the time of adjournment. A maximum of 128 members (37%) were seen at one point of the sitting.
• Four minority members attended the sitting.
• Eleven members applied for leave.

Representation and Responsiveness

• Five lawmakers discussed a motion under Rule 259 regarding the deadly attack in Peshawar for 73 minutes. Two PML-N lawmakers spoke for 26 minutes, followed by one legislator each from PPPP (22), APML (14) and MQM (11).
• Fourteen out of 38 starred questions appearing on the agenda were answered by the relevant departments, while the MNAs raised 14 supplementary questions.
• The House did not take up two calling attention notices (CANs) regarding l lack of civil amenities in Sultanpur village in Havelian, Abbottabad and theft of crude oil worth over Rs20 billion from Karak Oil Field.

Order and Institutionalization

• Eight points of order consumed 17 minutes of the proceedings’ time.
• The entire opposition staged a walkout for five minutes at 1249 hours against a report of taking back 650MW electricity from Karachi Electric Supply Company.

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 regretted.