Senate activity surges despite key gaps

PILDAT report shows 97 bills passed in 2025-26

ISLAMABAD:

Legislative activity in the Senate increased significantly during the 2025-26 parliamentary year, with the upper house passing nearly twice as many bills as the previous year, although persistent institutional weaknesses continued to undermine its overall performance.

According to an annual assessment released by the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), the Senate approved 97 bills during the year, comprising 47 government bills and 50 private members' bills, compared with 51 bills passed in 2024-25.

The report noted a marked revival in private members' legislation alongside an increase in government-sponsored legislation, while reliance on ordinances declined sharply, with only six introduced in the House against 16 a year earlier.

Although the Senate held 64 sittings during the year, one fewer than the previous year, the total duration of proceedings increased substantially to nearly 159 hours from 117 hours, reflecting longer sittings and heightened legislative activity.

Despite the increase in business, the report identified several institutional shortcomings, including declining attendance by senators, delayed representation of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and concerns over the process adopted for the passage of constitutional amendments.

The PILDAT report pointed out that average attendance by the senators fell to 57.6% from 62% in the previous year, while members' participation remained inconsistent despite fewer disruptions caused by a lack of quorum.

PILDAT also highlighted weaknesses in parliamentary leadership. It noted that the leader of the house recorded an attendance rate of 31%, while the office of the leader of the opposition remained vacant for five months and 15 days following the removal of Shibli Faraz on August 5, 2025. Senator Raja Nasir Abbas assumed the position on January 20, 2026.

According to the report, Federal Law Minister Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar was the most active member of the house, speaking for a total of 10 hours and 40 minutes during the parliamentary year.

He was followed by Senator Aimal Wali Khan with nine hours and 51 minutes, Senator Syed Ali Zafar with nine hours and 40 minutes, Senator Syed Shibli Faraz with eight hours and 24 minutes, and Leader of the House Ishaq Dar with six hours and 41 minutes.