ISLAMABAD, February13, 2013: Starting an hour and 15 minutes late, the seventh sitting of the 40^th session of the Sindh Assembly on Wednesday witnessed the passage of a treasury bill and adoption of two resolutions.

Fourteen members (8%) were present at the start while 53 (32%) at the adjournment of the sitting as the house passed the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill 2013.

The Chief Minister as well as the parliamentary leaders of PMLF and PMLQ did not attend the sitting.

Following are some key observations of the parliamentary business:

Members’ Participation in House Proceedings

• The Sindh Assembly met for three hours and 46 minutes.
• The sitting started at 1115 hours against the scheduled starting time of 1000 hours. The proceedings were delayed by an hour and fifteen minutes.
• The Speaker presided over the sitting for three hours and 21 minutes. The Deputy Speaker chaired the rest of the proceedings.
• The Chief Minister did not attend the session, while the parliamentary leaders of MQM, PPPP, PMLQ (F-B), NPP, ANP remained present.
• The relevant minister was present.
• Fourteen (8%) members were present at the start while 53 (32%) were there when the sitting was adjourned. A maximum, 67 members were observed at one point of the sitting.
• Two minority members attended the sitting.
• A single member applied for leave.

Representation and Responsiveness

• Four out of 10 starred questions on the agenda were responded by the relevant minister. Additionally, 35 supplementary questions were also asked.
• An adjournment motion was raised by a PPPP member and was not taken up

 

Output

• The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Sindh) Bill 2013 was unanimously passed during the sitting.
• Three bills—The Sindh Arms Bill 2013, The Education City Bill 2012 and The Hyderabad Institute of Arms Bill 2013 were introduced and deferred.

• Two resolutions were unanimously adopted, both moved by the treasury Members. One was to pay tribute to Faiz Ahmed Faiz on his 102^nd birth anniversary, and the second one condemned Punjab Police assault on an MPA of Punjab Assembly and an MQM leader.

Order and Institutionalization

• Three points of order consumed ten minutes, were raised.

Transparency

• Orders of the day were available to the legislators, observers and others.
• The Members’ attendance was recorded and then made public.

The Daily Factsheet is based on direct observation of Sindh Assembly proceedings conducted by Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), a member organization of FAFEN