More than 50% Agenda Items Left Over in 7th Session of the National Assembly

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 Highlights

  1. Only two sittings convened in 7th Session with 51% agenda items left over
  2. 7th Session lasted only 2 hours and 19 minutes over 2 sittings
    One (1) Government and two (2) Private Member Bills passed

Highlights of the Session

The 7th Session which spanned over 2 sittings lasted only for 2 hours and 19 minutes with more than 50% of the agenda items it sought to cover left incomplete. One (1) Government and two (2) Private Member Bills were passed. One (1) Government and eight (8) Private Member Bills were also introduced and referred to relevant Standing Committees. One (1) resolution was adopted.

Working Hours

The 7th Session of the 16th National Assembly was convened on July 09, 2024 and was prorogued on next day, July 10, 2024. Only two (2) sittings were held for 2 hours and 19 minutes. The sitting convened on July 9 was adjourned after meeting for 1 hour and 41 minutes while the sitting on July 10, 2024 lasted just 38 minutes before it was adjourned. The Schedule of the Sittings is given in Appendix A.

Agenda Items Left Over

51% agenda items were left over during the 7th Session. These included legislations, motions, and issues regarding various calling attention notices by MNAs. Details of the agenda items left over are given in Appendix B.

Quorum

Quorum was not pointed out during the session.

Attendance

On July 9, 2024, 221 MNAs were recorded as present in the session, while on July 10, 2024, 215 MNAs were present.

Leader of the of the Opposition Mr. Omar Ayub Khan, MNA (NA-18 Haripur, KP, Independent), attended both sittings of the 7th Session while Prime Minister Mr. Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, MNA (NA-123 Lahore, Punjab, PML-N) attended one (1) or only the 2nd sitting of the 7th Session.

Figure 1: Attendance

Top 5 Vocal MNAs

Mr. Omar Ayub Khan, MNA (NA-18 Haripur, KP, Independent), was the most vocal MNA during the 7th session, with a recorded talk time of 1 hour and 38 minutes. He was followed by Ms. Sehar Kamran, MNA (Reserve seat for Women, Sindh, PPPP) who spoke for 07 minutes. Mr. Asad Qaiser, MNA (NA-19 Swabi-I, KP, SIC) spoke for 6 minutes during the session. Mr. Naveed Aamir Jeeva, MNA (Reserve seats for Minority, Punjab, PPPP) spoke for 05 minutes. Mr. Riaz Khan Fatyana, MNA (NA-107 Toba Tek, Punjab, SIC) also spoke for 05 minutes.

Figure 2: Top 5 Vocal MNAs

Legislation

One (1) Government and two (2) Private Member Bills were passed during the Session. Additionally, 1 Government and 8 Private Member Bills were also introduced and referred to Standing Committees during the 7th Session of the National Assembly.

Government Bill passed during the Session

The State-Owned Enterprises (Governance and Operations) (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was introduced on July 09, 2024 and passed on July 10, 2024. This bill was previously passed by the Senate on July 5, 2024. The bill stated that it aimed to reconstitute the Boards of SOEs to better align them with the reform initiatives aimed at restructuring and transformation as well as privatization of certain entities. Additionally, this bill authorized the government to remove independent directors from state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and amended the SOE Act 2023 to ease this process by eliminating the need for an inquiry and allowing removal based on the recommendations by the committee. It also revised Section 4 to narrow the SOE policy scope and added Section 10(3A) for evaluating directors’ performance. These changes aimed to resolve issues in overhauling the boards of eight DISCOs, which faced resistance and legal challenges due to their statutory tenures as well as address governance concerns amid substantial financial losses and alleged political influence in prior appointments. The bill received assent by the President on July 18, 2024.

Private Member Bills passed during the Session

The Pakistan Psychological Council Bill, 2024 was introduced by Mr. Riaz Khan Fatyana, MNA (NA-107 Toba Tek, Punjab, SIC) on July 09, 2024 and passed on same day without being referred to Standing Committee. The bill aimed to establish a framework for regulating mental health and psychological services in Pakistan, aligning with national and international goals. It sought to support professionals in psychology to promote sustainable development in accordance with Islamic principles, integrating academic research and information. Moreover, this legislation provided a code of conduct for the professionals and to reduce psychological stress and other mental aliments in the society by organising and participating in national regional and international workshops, seminars and conferences.

The Christian Marriage (Amendment) Act, 2024 was introduced by Mr. Naveed Aamir Jeeva, MNA (Reserve seats for Minority, Punjab, PPPP) on July 09, 2024 and passed on same day without being referred to Standing Committee. The bill aimed to protect the inviolable dignity of children as their basic human right and to protect children being married before age of majority as their basic rights to education and other ancillary rights would otherwise be infringed. The main purpose of this enactment is to protect children from being sexually abused and to secure children’s basic fundamental rights as enshrined in the Constitution. The bill was already passed by the Senate on February 26, 2024 and received assent by the President on July 23, 2024.

Government Bills introduced during the Session

Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar, Federal Minister for Law, Justice, Parliamentary Affairs, and Human Rights, introduced The Pakistan Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2024 on July 10, 2024. It seeks to omit section 4 from the Pakistan Citizenship Act, 1951 (Act II of 1951), allowing for Pakistani citizenship on the basis of place of birth regardless of the citizenship of the parents. The bill was referred to the Standing Committee for Interior for further review.

Figure 3: Legislation

 

Ordinances

No ordinance was laid during the 7th Session of the National Assembly.

Resolutions

One (1) Resolution was adopted during the Session.

Nawabzada Mir Jamal Khan Raisani, MNA (NA-264 Quetta-III, Balochistan (PPPP), introduced a resolution calling for the government to honour the memory and legacy of over 300 martyrs of the Saneha-e-Drengarh attack, including Nawabzada Siraj Khan Raisani, who tragically lost their lives in the terrorist attack on July 13, 2018. The resolution also urged for unity in the fight against terrorism. The resolution was adopted during the last two minutes of the National Assembly proceedings, with no opposition, and passed by a majority vote.

Analysis

Mr. Omar Ayub Khan, MNA (NA-18 Haripur, KP, Independent), criticised the process of passing The State-Owned Enterprises (Governance and Operations) (Amendment) Bill, 2024. Mr. Ayub claimed that amendments were not provided to committee members beforehand. He argued that there should be clear, quantitative criteria for appointing board members based on their performance. Mr. Ayub also mentioned that he, along with party members had submitted a note of dissent that the new amendments carry serious repercussions. “We know we have become a banana republic but do not become a cheap banana republic,” said Mr. Omar Ayub Khan in his criticism of the law. He said that the government had taken absolute authority to appoint and remove the boards, which was against the concept of good governance.[1]

Dr. Nafisa Shah , MNA ( NA-202 Khairpur-I, Sindh, PPPP) said that she believed the IMF asked for the changes entailed in this amendment. “I suspect that the IMF has asked for these amendments, as these amendments are meant to capture power and it’s like a coup d’état,” she said. Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar (Punjab, PML-N), Federal Minister for Law, Justice, Parliamentary Affairs, and Human Rights, responded by saying the amendments were needed because the directors of those boards were enjoying perks and privileges without doing anything.[2]

During the session, Mr. Omar Ayub Khan, MNA (NA-18 Haripur, KP, Independent), alleged that Senator Syed Mohsin Ali Naqvi, (Punjab, IND) Interior Minister, had been involved in a wheat import scam worth hundreds of billions of rupees during his time as caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab. Mr. Omar Ayub Khan expressed concerns about potential wheat export plans. In response, Prime Minister Mr. Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, MNA (NA-123 Lahore, Punjab, PML-N), clarified to the House that no decision has been made regarding wheat exports.[3]

Time consumed on discussion of Policy Issues during 7th Session

The quality of the time used during the National Assembly session can be gauged by analysing the time consumed on discussing key issues of democratic governance. The time dedicated to discussion on policy issues were only 22 minutes. The maximum time was consumed in discussion on the bill “The State-Owned Enterprises (Governance and Operations) (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which lasted 14 minutes.[4]

References

  1. “NA passes State-Owned Enterprises (Governance and Operations) (Amendment) Bill, 2024,” Associated Press of Pakistan online, July 10, 2024, accessed July 22, 2024. https://www.app.com.pk/national/na-passes-state-owned-enterprises-governance-and-operations-amendment-bill-2024/. ↑

  2. Shahbaz Rana, “Law approved to remove SOE boards,” The Express Tribune online, July 11, 2024, accessed July 23, 2024. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2478621/law-approved-to-remove-soe-boards. ↑

  3. Iftikhar A. Khan, “NA clears SOEs bill; PM says no wheat exports yet,” Dawn News online, July 11, 2024, accessed July 24, 2024. https://www.dawn.com/news/1845144. ↑

  4. It must be noted that PILDAT has classified that a policy issue is such that involves any legislation or a recommendation on devising a policy. ↑