• Boycott by Opposition Benches
• Low Attendance Observed

ISLAMABAD, November 6, 2013: Marked by low attendance and boycott by Opposition Benches, the Senate left the entire agenda items listed on the Orders of the Day unaddressed during the 8^th sitting of the Senate’s ongoing 98^th session, says the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) on Wednesday.

With the exception of MQM, the opposition parties continued their boycott against the alleged misconduct of the Federal Minister for Interior. The sitting witnessed low attendance as 25 Senators were present at the outset while 18 were there at the adjournment.

Senators spoke on 13 Points of Order which consumed the entire sitting time. None of the Points of Order attracted the Chair’s formal ruling.

The Leader of the House attended the sitting for 10 minutes while the Leader of the Opposition remained absent.

Following are some key observations of the House proceedings:

Members’ Participation in House Proceedings

• The Senate met for 46 minutes.
• The sitting started at 1213 hours against the scheduled time of 1030, witnessing a delay of an hour and 43 minutes.
• The Chairman presided over the sitting.
• The Leader of the House attended the proceedings for 10 minutes while the Leader of the Opposition remained absent.
• Twenty-five Senators were present at the outset of the sitting, while 18 were there at the adjournment of the sitting
• The parliamentary leaders of JUI-F, MQM, and PML-F attended the sitting.
• Two Minority Senators attended the sitting.

Representation and Responsiveness

• Twenty-six starred questions (requiring oral replies) appearing on the agenda were not taken up by the House.

Order and Institutionalization

• Senators spoke on 13 Points of Orders consuming the entire sitting time. However, none of the Points of Order attracted the Chair’s formal ruling.
• With the exception of MQM, the Opposition continued their boycott over the alleged misconduct of the Federal Minister for Interior.

Transparency

• Orders of the Day were available to the legislators, observers and others.
• Information on Senators’ attendance was not available to the 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 Senate proceedings conducted by PATTAN Development Organization; a member organization of FAFEN. Errors and omissions excepted