Pakistan National Assembly The Basics

The National Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, which also consists of the upper house, the Senate of Pakistan. The National Assembly and the Senate both convene at Parliament House in Islamabad. The National Assembly is a democratically elected body consisting of a total of 342 members, who are referred to as Members of the National Assembly (MNAs), of which 272 are directly elected members and 70 reserved seats for women and religious minorities. History

• First convened in 1947 with Muhammad Ali Jinnah as the first President; • Unanimously adopted the 1973 Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in April 1973; • Currently has a majority of the Pakistan Tahreek E Insaf, with Imran Khan as the Prime Minister & Arif Alvi as the president; • Members are elected every 5 years through free & fair general elections. Mandate

The National Assembly, Pakistan's sovereign legislative body, makes laws for the federation as per the provision given in the Constitution. Through debates, adjournment motions, question hour, and standing committees, the National Assembly keeps a check on the government. It ensures that the government functions within the parameters set out in the Constitution, and does not violate the people's fundamental rights. The Parliament scrutinizes public spending and exercises control of expenditure incurred by the government through the work of the relevant committees.

Bills usually require a simple majority to be passed, while constitutional amendments require a 2/3 majority to be passed. Any bill passed by the National Assembly is subsequently sent to the senate to be voted on, and is only adopted if it’s passed by both houses of the parliament.