ISLAMABAD, August 19, 2013: The Senate unanimously adopted three supplementary resolutions in the first sitting of the 97^th session on Monday, as the House did not take up any of agenda items on the Orders of the Day.

Through resolutions moved by PML-N and PPPP Senators, the Upper House condemned the incidents of unprovoked Indian aggression along the Line of Control (LOC), the military takeover of a democratically elected government and killings in Egypt. Additionally, a PML lawmaker tabled a resolution to congratulate a PPPP Senator for acquiring a PhD degree from the Punjab University.

The House did not take up four bills, five motions under rule 218, and five resolutions.

The armed standoff on Jinnah Avenue, Islamabad on 15 August was brought before the House through an Adjournment Motion by a PPPP Senator. The motion will be debated in the next sitting.

The Deputy Chairman chaired the sitting. The Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition attended the sitting. The parliamentary leaders of MQM, JUIF, PML and NP were present during the sitting.

The sitting which lasted for an hour was marked by low attendance. At the start of the sitting 13 Senators and at the end there were 29 members.

Following are some key observations of the parliamentary business:

Members’ Participation in House Proceedings

• The Senate met for one hour.
• The sitting started at 1800 hours against the scheduled starting time of 1700 hours, witnessing a delay of an hour.
• The Deputy Chairman chaired the sitting.
• The Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition attended the sitting.
• The parliamentary leaders of MQM, PML, NP and JUIF were present.
• Only 13 Senators were present at the outset while 29 were there at the time of adjournment. A maximum of 45 Senators were present at one point of the sitting.
• Two minority Senators attended the proceedings.
• Six Senators applied for leave.
  

Output

• The House unanimously adopted three resolutions on LoC violations by Indian armed forces, situation in Egypt, and a PPPP Senator getting a PhD from the Punjab University. The resolutions were tabled by PML-N, PPPP and PML Senators. 

Representation and Responsiveness

• An Adjournment Motion was moved by a PPPP member on the armed standoff on Jinnah Avenue, Islamabad on 15 August. The debate on the motion will be held in the next sitting. 

Transparency

• ‘Orders of the Day’ was available to legislators, observers and others.
• Information on senators’ attendance was unavailable to observers and the public.
  

The Daily Factsheet is based on direct observation of the Senate proceedings conducted by Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI), a member organization of FAFEN