ISLAMABAD, June 2, 2014: The President of Pakistan addressed the second joint sitting of the parliament amid a boycott by four opposition parties over the Prime Minister’s failure to attend the sessions of the Senate, says the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN).

It is for the first time that the incumbent president addressed the joint sitting of the parliament – the National Assembly and Senate. Article 56-(3) of the Constitution binds the President to address the joint sitting of the parliament every year.

The sitting lasted 40 minutes and the Opposition parties in the Senate including PPPP, ANP, PML and BNP-A boycotted the proceedings while an independent lawmaker kept on speaking at the start and during the speech of the President.

The President congratulated the lawmakers on the completion of the first parliamentary year and termed the continuation of democracy essential for the prosperity of Pakistan. He urged the parliamentarians to come up to the expectations of people and work hard for their prosperity. The President said the elimination of terrorism is essential for the country’s prosperity, adding internal security would have to be strengthened along with the border security. He addressed the sitting for 30 minutes.

The National Assembly Speaker chaired the proceedings. The Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and the Senate Chairman attended the sitting.

Following are some key observations of the parliamentary business:

Members’ Participation in House Proceedings

• The joint sitting lasted 40 minutes.
• The sitting started at 1121 hours against the scheduled time of 1100 hours, witnessing delay of 21 minutes.
• The National Assembly Speaker chaired the entire sitting.
• The President spoke for 30 minutes.
• The Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition attended the entire sitting.
• The proceedings started with the national anthem followed by the recitation of Quran

Transparency

• Information on members’ attendance was not available to the observers and the public.  

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 excepted