ISLAMABAD, June 19, 2012:  The ninth sitting of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s 26th session witnessed a five-minute protest by legislators shortly after the Prime Minister was disqualified by the Supreme Court. The sitting was adjourned after the protest.  

All MPAs, except those belonging to PMLN, walked out of the House after they came to know about the Prime Minister’s disqualification. 

Starting 17 minutes late, the sitting, which met for an hour and 25 minutes, continued debate on budget. Twenty eight MPAs – 12 MMAP, eight PMLN, six PML and two PPPP – spoke on the admitted Cut Motions. A total of 741 cut motions have been introduced.

The Chief Minister did not attend the sitting while the Leader of the Opposition was present. Only the parliamentary leaders of PML and PPPS were present. 

Thirty seven Members (30% of total membership – 124) were present at the start, while 62 (50%) were present when the sitting was adjourned.

 Following are some key observations of the parliamentary business:

 Members’ Participation in House Proceedings

• The Assembly met for an hour and 25 minutes.
• The sitting started at 1517 hours against the scheduled starting time of 1500 hours. The House proceedings started late by 17 minutes.
• The Speaker chaired the sitting.
• The Chief Minister did not attend the sitting while the Leader of the Opposition was present.
• The parliamentary leaders of PML and PPPS were present.
• A total of 37 Members (30% of total membership – 124) were present at the start, while 62 (50%) were present when the sitting was adjourned.
• One minority Member was present during the sitting.

 Representation and Responsiveness

• Twenty-eight Members spoke on the Cut Motions admitted in the House.

 Output

• No other agenda appeared on the Agenda.

 Order and Institutionalization

• No Points of Order were raised during the sitting.

• All MPAs, apart from the PMLN, walked out of the House in protest over the disqualification of Prime Minister. 

 Transparency

• List of Business was available to legislators, observers and others.
• Information on Members’ attendance was unavailable to observers and the public.

• Copies of the budget speech were available to the legislators.

 

The Daily Factsheet is based on direct observation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly proceedings conducted by PAIMAN Alumni Trust, a member organization of FAFEN