NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF PAKISTAN FAFEN PARLIAMENT MONITOR 2nd SESSION September 18 - October 3, 2018

FREE AND FAIR ELECTION NETWORK www.fafen.org www.openparliament.pk ABBREVIATIONS ANP Awami National Party

AMLP Awami Muslim League Pakistan

BNP Balochistan National Party

CANs Calling Attention Notices

IND Independent Member

MQMP Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan

PML Pakistan Muslim League

PML-N Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz)

PPPP Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians

PTI Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf

GDA Grand Democratic Alliance

BAP Balochistan Awami Party

JWP Jamhoori Wattan Party

MMAP Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal Pakistan NA Second Session: 66 Legislators Participate in Total Budget Discussion Sittings Opposition Gets Two-Third Share in Budget 9 Discussion ISLAMABAD, October 4, 2018: Nearly BNP 51 minutes and three of MQM 38 one-fifth of the National Assembly minutes. An independent and BAP legislators (66) took part in discussion legislator also spoke on budget for six on the supplementary budget, first and three minutes, respectively. budget of the incumbent federal government, passed during second The House also discussed the Working session of 15th National Assembly. Senate's recommendations on the Days finance bill. As many as three Of 17 hours and 17 minutes allocated lawmakers – one each of PML-N, PPPP for budget discussion, around two- and MMAP – debated these third (ten hours and 46 minutes) was recommendations for 57 minutes. given to the legislator belonging to opposition parties including PML-N, Duration and Attendance: 11 PPPP and MMAP while one third to the legislators belonging to the ruling The House held nine sittings of parties (PTI, MQMP, BAP and BNP). cumulative duration 29 hours and 54 minutes during the session that The Federal Minister for Finance, continued from September 18,2018 till Revenue and Economic Affairs October 3, 2018. Almost four percent presented the Finance Supplementary of the cumulative duration (an hour Cumulative (Amendment) Bill 2018 in the Lower and 17 minutes) was lost in suspension House of Parliament during first sitting of proceedings due to breaks. Each Duration of the session on September 18, 2016. sitting started 33 minutes behind its The House began discussion on the scheduled time and continued for bill five days later on September 24, three hours and 19 minutes, on an 2018 that continued till the last sitting average. on October 3, 2018. Every sitting had an average 123 (36%) 29 As many as 66 lawmakers including 17 lawmakers present at its Hours & 54 Minutes women, representing seven commencement 112 (33%) lawmakers parliamentary parties and at the adjournment. The Leader of the independents, participated in the House (Prime Minister) was present in discussion on the finance bill that three sittings and attended around continued for 17 hours and 17 minutes. 10% of the proceedings (two hours and The male lawmakers consumed nearly 53 minutes) while the Leader of the Total 81% (14 hours and 37 minutes) and Opposition attended eight sittings and Break Time female lawmakers 19% (three hours nearly 51% of the proceedings (14 and 22 minutes) of this duration. hours 43 minutes).

The ruling party PTI's 19 lawmakers The Speaker was present in six sittings spoke on the budget for five hours and and presided over 38% proceedings 35 minutes and were followed by 16 (11 hours and 23 minutes) while the 1 lawmakers of PML-N who were given Deputy Speaker attended all sittings five hours and 19 minutes to discuss Hour & 17 Minutes and presided over 47% proceedings the government's financial proposals. (14 hours and five minutes) during the Moreover, 15 legislators of PPPP got session. A member of Panel of SESSION HIGHLIGHTS SESSION four hours and 10 minutes, seven of Chairpersons presided over the MMAP an hour and 17 minutes, four of remaining 11% (three hours and nine minutes) of the proceedings. day extension to the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority The parliamentary leaders of PML-N, (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018. BAP, MMAP and PML were observed present in every sitting while the Moved as supplementary business, Average leader of PPPP attended seven, BNP the House adopted three resolutions and AMLP five each, MQM four, GDA seeking to establish Parliamentary Sitting Delay and JWP three each and ANP one Friendship Groups with 91 foreign sitting. Parliaments, condemn the Indian firing on the AJK Prime Minister's helicopter Legislation: and play National anthem on the commencement of each sitting of the The government presented two National Assembly after recitation 33 ordinances - the Elections from the Holy Quran and Naat. Minutes (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018 and the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Question Hour: Authority (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018 – in the House during the The Assembly's Rules of Procedure session. The House referred these and Conduct of Business mandate Members at Outset ordinances to the relevant committees holding the Question Hour on every (Average) for their recommendations. sitting except those on Tuesday. However, the House observed only Though there were three Tuesdays – two Question Hours throughout the day reserved for private members' session and suspended the business – during the course of the requirement of the rules for the session, the House observed only one remaining sittings to discuss the 123 Private Members' day which featured budgetary proposals. three private members' bills on the present Orders of the Day. Below is the list of Only three starred questions were these bills along with their movers and listed for the session. The treasury status: orally responded to these questions

Mover of Bill Party Name of Bill Status The Home-Based Members at End Business (Average) Nafeesa Inayatullah Withdrawn by PTI Opportunities for Khan Khattak Mover Destitute Women Bill, 2018 Engineer Sabir MQM The Pakistan Hussain Psychological 112 Syed Amin ul Haque MQM Not Taken Up due Council Bill, 2018 to absence of present Salah-ud-Din MQM Movers Usama Qadri MQM Mr. Riaz Fatiana PML The Constitution Not Taken Up due Kishwer Zehra MQM (Amendment) Bill, to absence of

Starred 2018 (Article 239) Movers Resolutions: while the legislators asked three Questions supplementary questions on the The regular agenda for the session treasury's answers. included five private members' resolutions on public importance Calling Attention Notices: matters and a government resolution seeking extension of an ordinance. The House took up 13 out of 17 Calling 3 Attention Notices (CANs) appearing on The House adopted two private members' resolutions urging the the Orders of the Day. These notices government to construct new dams were addressed to Ministries of SESSION HIGHLIGHTS SESSION and install water filtration plants in the National Health Services, Regulations universities while also granting 120- and Coordination; Law and Justice; Railways; States and Frontier Regions; SITTINGS DURATION (hh:mm)

07:12

03:09 03:07 03:16 03:04 03:09 02:13 02:27 02:17

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

KEY MEMBERS’ ATTENDANCE

Speaker Deputy Speaker Prime Minister Leader of the Opposition

Attended Presided over Attended Presided over Attended Spent Attended Spent 6 38% 9 47% 3 10% 24% Sittings I Proceedings Sittings I Proceedings Sittings I time in the House 8 I time in the House Sittings *Four percent duration of session was consumed in prayer breaks or suspension of proceedings. **Eleven percent of the proceedings were chaired by Members of Panel of Chairpersons.

MEMBERS’ ATTENDANCE

255

197 197 179 145 108 114 108 102 90 96 95 90 96 93 65 72

12

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Members At Outset Members At End PARLIAMENTARY LEADERS ATTENDANCE

Rana Tanveer Asad Mehmood Shah Zain Bugtti Ch. Tariq Bashir Cheema 9 9 9 9 PML-N I attended MMAP I attended BAP I attended PML I attended

Syed Naveed Qammar M. Akhtar Mengal Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui 7 5 5 4 PPPP I attended BNP I attended AMLP I attended MQMP I attended

Ghous Bux Khan Mahar Khalid Hussain Magsi Amir Haider Khan 3 3 1 GDA I attended JWP I attended ANP I attended Interior; Power, Communication and The session witnessed four instances Petroleum. of identification of quorum by PML-N lawmakers. The proceedings Protests, Walkouts and remained suspended for 20 minutes Quorum: due to lack of quorum on an occasion while the House was found in order The opposition legislators staged four twice. Moreover, the Chair ignored the walkouts during the session. The identification of quorum once. government's ally party BNP walked 2 out from the proceedings for 16 The lawmakers spoke on 38 points of minutes to register their protest order during the session consuming Ordinances against government's plan to award two hours and seven minutes of the nationality to the refugees. The proceedings. Laid opposition parties jointly staged two walkouts against the remarks of Minister for Information and Broadcasting regarding corruption by opposition lawmakers and the Chair's refusal to conduct headcount on identification of quorum. The largest opposition party PML-N staged a solo walkout as well against the chair's refusal to allow a legislator of the 1 party to speak during the proceedings. Government Bill Passed 1 Private Members’ Bill Withdrawn

This report is based on direct observation of the proceedings of the National Assembly conducted by Free and Fair Election Network. SSION HIGHLIGHTS Every effort has been made to keep this report, which deals with on-floor performance of the Members, accurate and comprehensive. Errors and omissions are excepted. SE ABOUT FAFEN

§ FAFEN is one of the most credible networks of civil society organizations working for strengthening citizens' voice and accountability in Pakistan since 2006. § FAFEN has harnessed information technology for real-time monitoring, facilitation and technical backstopping of partners for effective and result- based program delivery. § FAFEN is the only civil society group to have been invited by the Judicial Commission to present the evidence of illegalities and irregularities documented through the course of General Elections 2013 Observation. The systemic and procedural issues identified by FAFEN have been acknowledged by the commission in its detailed findings. § FAFEN's recommendations for electoral reforms have contributed to the work of Parliamentary Committee for Electoral Reforms. § FAFEN's advocacy for parliamentary transparency, accountability and reforms has shaped public discourse on parliamentary reforms. Improved citizens' access to parliamentary information including daily public release of parliamentarians' attendance records can be directly attributed to FAFEN's work. § FAFEN deployed 18,000 and 40,000 non-partisan and trained observers for the systematic observation of general election 2008 and 2013, respectively, largest citizens' observation ever undertaken in Pakistan. § FAFEN's evidence and recommendations for reforms have improved the quality of public and political discourse on elections, its issues and need for reforms. Leading political parties and media houses extensively use FAFEN's election findings and analysis to build a case for reforms. § With more than 23,700 followers on Twitter and around 144,000 on Facebook, FAFEN is considered one of the most reliable sources of electoral and parliamentary information in the country.

Free and Fair Election Network www.fafen.org

www.openparliament.pk I www.parliamentfiles.com