Participation of lawmakers in budget debate drops

Only 20% of MNAs took part in discussion with duration lasting 37.4 hours as against last year’s 80.2 hours

ISLAMABAD: The debate on the budget for FY2017-18 had been drastically curtailed, with only 68 lawmakers or 20% of the total strength of parliament taking part in the discussion, according to a report issued by the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) on Thursday.

The budget session was also reduced to just nine sittings as compared to 11 last year, with the National Assembly passing the budget in its 43rd session, said the report, adding that the duration of the current budget session lasted only 37.4 hours as against last year’s 80.2 hours.

The report also noticed that there a surge in the average delay -- from 10 to 38 minutes -- in the commencement of sittings to discuss the fifth budget of the ruling party that was debated and passed amid the opposition’s boycott.

Fafen also reported that the House took two days to approve the current and supplementary demands for grants. The government had moved 150 demands for grants for the upcoming financial year and 124 demands for grants for the financial year ending on June 30, 2017. However, the opposition lawmakers had submitted 1,704 cut motions on these demands, but none were moved due to the absence of the relevant lawmakers.



Apart from considering the Finance Bill, the assembly also considered two government and nine private members’ bills. One of the government bills, the Companies Bill, 2017 was passed, while the others were referred to the relevant committees for review, according to the report.

Moreover, MNAs also adopted two resolutions condemning the attacks on the Iranian parliament and Ayatollah Khomeini’s mausoleum. They also urged the government to play its role in resolving the diplomatic crisis among the Gulf countries. The lawmakers also raised two calling-attention notices on issues of public importance.

Speaker Ayaz Sadiq presided over 62% of the budget proceedings, compared to 44% on the previous occasion, said the Fafen report.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif only appeared during one sitting and attended six% of the sessions while Opposition Leader Khursheed Shah was present in 13 sittings and attended 34% of the proceedings, it said.



During the session, lawmakers raised 489 points of order which consumed 22% of the proceedings.

Moreover, the incidents of walkouts and protests increased from last year’s four to 18 as the opposition parties boycotted the budget proceedings over the government’s refusal to telecast their speeches live on the state-run television, according to Fafen.