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Legislative-Oversigh LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT OF POLICE By: Muhammad Bilal Saeed, CPDI Acknowledgments This report has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The European Union is made up of 27 Member States who have decided to gradually link together their know-how, resources and destinies. Together, during a period of enlargement of 50 years, they have built a zone of stability, democracy and sustainable development whilst maintaining cultural diversity, tolerance and individual freedoms. The European Union is committed to sharing its achievements and its values with countries and peoples beyond its borders. This research has been conducted by Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives with the support of Friedrich Naumann Foundation under the European Union Project “Civil Society and Police Reform in South Asia”. The research has been made possible with the technical support of Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative. The author wishes to acknowledge the support of Amer Ejaz, Executive Director, CPDI during the course of research. Credit also goes to MPA PAP Ayesha Javed who provided valuable input during the research analysis. _________________________________________ Researched and authored by Bilal Saeed, CPDI FNST focal resource person: Dona John, FNST-South Asia *Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) would welcome reproduction and dissemination of the contents of the report with due acknowledgments. Acronyms AJIP Awami Jamhuri Ittehad Pakistan AML Awami Muslim League ANP Awami National Party APML All Pakistan Muslim League BNP Balochistan National Party IND Independent JI Jamaat-e-Islami JUI-F Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam MQM Muttahidda Qaumi Movement NA National Assembly NP National Party NPP National Peoples Party PAP Provincial Assembly Punjab PMAP Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party PML Pakistan Muslim League PML (F) Pakistan Muslim League (Functional) PML (N) Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) PML (Q) Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e-Azam) PML (Z) Pakistan Muslim League (Zia) PPPP Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians PTI Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf QWP (S) Qaumi Watan Party (Sherpao) Contents Introduction.......................................................................................................................................8 I. Background ................................................................................................................................ 8 II. Methodology.............................................................................................................................. 8 III. Importance of question hour session ........................................................................................... 9 IV. Structure of the report................................................................................................................ 9 Analysis of question hour in the National Assembly ..........................................................................10 1.1 Question hour in the National Assembly ..................................................................................... 10 1.2 Composition of National Assembly ............................................................................................. 10 1.2a Provincial/geographical representation .................................................................................... 10 1.2b Party-wise representation ....................................................................................................... 11 1.3 Questions requiring an oral response - policing in focus .............................................................. 11 1.3a Response pattern for the oral questions ................................................................................... 12 1.3b Nature of unique questions for oral responses .......................................................................... 12 1.3c. Nature of questions raised in PAP ............................................................................................ 13 1.3d Gender-wise number of questions for oral response ................................................................. 14 1.3e Gender-wise unique v/s repeat questions ................................................................................. 14 1.3f Member-wise unique v/s repeat questions for oral response...................................................... 16 1.3e Party-wise number of questions responded v/s not responded .................................................. 17 1.3f Party-wise unique v/s repeat questions ..................................................................................... 18 1.3g Repeat questions – worst examples.......................................................................................... 19 Analysis of question hour in Provincial Assembly Punjab...................................................................20 2.1 Composition of PAP................................................................................................................... 20 2.2 Starred questions in PAP............................................................................................................ 20 2.2a Gauging efficiency of response to question hour – starred questions ......................................... 20 2.3b Gender-wise number of starred questions responded ............................................................... 21 2.3c Party-wise and member-wise response pattern of starred questions .......................................... 21 2.3d Starred questions unresponded ............................................................................................... 22 Annexure Annex 1:- Complete Questions list addressed in NA during first parliamentary year ............ 23 Annex 2: Questions list addressed in PAP during first parliamentary year........................................... 41 Annex 2: Questions list addressed in PAP during first parliamentary year........................................... 41 Introduction I. Background This is a pioneer research of its sort in Pakistan that specifically investigates legislative oversight of police in National Assembly and Provincial Assembly Punjab. This research examines Legislative oversight of police by looking specifically at the question hour sessions of both National Assembly and Provincial Assembly Punjab. The year in focus is the first parliamentary year of the current government. The questions that have been included in the research analysis are only those that require an oral response.1 The research is important because policing is strongly connected to life, liberty and property rights of the citizenry and assessing the focus of legislative branch of government towards policing is the important first step to bring any substantial reform in the system. Question hour provides parliamentarian an adequate opportunity to hold police department and the concerned ministry/department accountable. While the Legislative branch - comprising elected assembly members - needs to keep an oversight of police, the citizens need to keep a watchful eye over the performance of their representatives in the assemblies. Proceedings of question hour sessions, available freely on National Assembly and Provincial Assembly Punjb’s websites, is a valuable instrument for the people to gauge the performance of the parliamentarians. This study is a simplified analysis that scrutinizes the Legislative branch through a microscopic focus; by looking at the nature and scope of such questions to see whether their representative talks about the issues that are of high priority for the citizens. Purpose of this research is to analyze the trends of questions that are raised in these assemblies regarding police. Not only is such analysis required to gauge the magnitude of Parliamentarians’ focus of these two assemblies towards policing issues, but also to determine the weaknesses in policing and subsequently, in the long run, to include the identified problem areas into future advocacy initiatives for police reform. Moreover, the inefficient mechanism of assembly, which hinders timely response to questions by the parliamentarians, is brought to limelight. II. Methodology Data of questions for oral responses in both the National Assembly and Provincial Assembly Punjab were recorded on excel and coded as to research requirements. Analysis is quantitative in nature and is carried out solely on excel. Except for categorizing the nature of questions2 through personal Judgment, all the rest of the data has been collected from either National Assembly or Provincial Assembly Punjab’s websites. 1 In the National Assembly, questions that require oral response are called ‘questions for oral response’ while those requiring an oral reply in Provincial Assembly Punjab are called starred questions. 2 Classification into categories such as administrative, development, reform, general information etc III. Importance of question hour session Question hour sessions are an important tool for the legislative branch of the government to scrutinize the performance of the executive branch of government. Opposition parties benefit from questioning the treasury benches by scrutinizing the various dimensions of their performance, development plans, and problems in the system. Question hour is important because it attracts media attention and the probability of betterment in the system becomes more once media focuses upon any specific issue. Question hour is also an important instrument with the members
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