ISLAMABAD, April 15, 2014: The Sindh Assembly witnessed uproar on Tuesday when the Chair refused to admit an adjournment motion sponsored by four MQM lawmakers during the 10^th sitting of 12^th session, says the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN).

The MQM lawmakers tabled the motion regarding extra-judicial killings of their party workers; however, the Chair ruled it inadmissible which led to the pandemonium in the plenary.

During the protest, the House adopted a resolution, sponsored by a PTI lawmaker, recommending the Election Commission of Pakistan to hold local bodies and general elections under bio-metric system in the future.  The House left its entire remaining agenda unaddressed.

The House took up all five starred questions (requiring oral as well as written replies) directed to the Excise and Taxation Department. The members also asked 37 supplementary questions. The members raised ten points of order consuming half an hour of the proceedings.

Following are some key observations of the House proceedings:

 Members’ Participation in House Proceedings:

• The Sindh Assembly met for two hours and 10 minutes taking a three-minute break.
• The sitting started at 1105 hours against the scheduled time of 1000 hours, witnessing delay of an hour and 5 minutes.
• The Deputy Speaker presided over the entire sitting as the Speaker was absent.
• The Chief Minister was absent while the Leader of the Opposition attended the sitting for 20 minutes.
• The parliamentary leaders of PPPP, PTI, MQM and PML-F attended the sitting.
• Forty-two members (25%) were present at the outset while 79 (47%) at the adjournment. A maximum of 95 members (57%) were observed to be present at one point during the sitting.
• Five minority members attended the sitting.
• Three members applied for the leave.

Output

• The House adopted a resolution, sponsored by a PTI lawmaker, recommending the Election Commission of Pakistan to hold local bodies and general elections under bio-metric system in the future.

 Representation and Responsiveness

• The House took up all five starred questions (requiring oral as well as written replies) directed to the Excise and Taxation Department. The members also asked 37 supplementary questions. The members raised ten points of order consuming half an hour of the proceedings.
• The MQM lawmakers tabled the motion regarding extra-judicial killings of their party workers; however, the Chair ruled it inadmissible which led to the pandemonium in the plenary.

Order and Institutionalization

• The MQM lawmakers protested against the inadmissibility of an adjournment motion for eight minutes. The sitting was adjourned during the pandemonium.
• The members raised ten points of order consuming half an hour of the proceedings.

Transparency

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

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