A file photo of National Assembly. PHOTO: APP/FILE
The first sitting was held on March 17, 2008 when the members took oath.
In its 650 sittings, the Lower House passed 126 bills including some important legislation which called for rights for women and children, reinstatement of sacked employees and election laws, through 18, 19 and 20 constitutional amendments.
Around 81 bills had been approved into Acts of Parliament during the tenure. The last act was approved on February 20.
The House also adopted 80 resolutions on various issues of national and international importance. These resolutions addressed issues like drone attacks, killings of polio workers, Gojra and Badami Bagh riots and social issues.
The National Assembly held the in-camera sessions in which the top military brass briefed the parliamentarians on Abbottabad Operation in which US Navy SEALs killed al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden.
The President of Pakistan addressed the joint sitting of Parliament five times, hence fulfilling the constitutional obligation.
The National Assembly lost eight members including the Minister for Minorities Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti who was murdered in firing incident that took place in Islamabad.
Other members who lost their lives during the five-year tenure include Merhun Nisa Afridi, Taj Muhammad Jamali, Fauzia Wahab, Azim Daultana, JamYousuf, Niaz Muhammad Khan and Abdul Mateen Khan.
Moreover, the incumbent National Assembly was addressed twice by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and once by Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. The sitting National Assembly also witnessed two prime ministers, Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and RajaPervaiz Ashraf.
COMMENTS (17)
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650 sittings... who cares... ???
Don't go by the numbers , check the ground realities.
a positive note!
@Adnan: Agreed. Five years will be completed sans being kicked out. Passing resolutions and not taking any action is the malaise from which we suffer. How many actions have increased the prosperity of the citizens? How many actions have increased deprivation among the citizens? How many actions or no actions have created lawless situations and disorder problems, orphans, widows, beggars, homeless, dharnas, unemployment and rich corrupt? You only mention four institutions being Parliament, Judiciary, Armed Forces, and Media, and no other institutions that are quasi courts, which are many. We need such institutions in different sectors to have regulatory authority that is respected.
@just_someone: We can only forget and forgive if there is justice. The patience that we have to show for a mature democracy is spread over fifteen to twenty years approximately. It is nice to have rational thinking of letting time heal all errors and blunders. Frankly, time is moving ahead very fast and people are getting deprived of their rights and suffering too many privations. We are at a defining stage of corruption, justice, or fallibility and the future election results will define at what stage we will arrive.
Salams and have a nice day.
I believe we are living through a turning point in Pakistan’s history. Could things be better? Of course! But building great nations takes time and it happens in small, often miniscule, increments. So be patient and focus on the good instead of the bad: whatever the faults of the present Government -- and Lord know it has many -- it did what no other democratically elected Government in our nation’s history could do: complete a five-year term. Let’s celebrate that as an achievement, however minor an achievement it might be. Let us see it as a first step to a more secure and prosperous future for our great and beautiful country. Let us also do our part: Governments can only do so much; in fact, they should (ideally) do as little as possible. Truly great nations are built not by governments but by a committed and cooperative and, above all, a free citizenry. Pakistan Zindabad!!
Break it down over 5 long years and it's only a very poor performance 130 sitting per one full year. The real issues of a common man on street still not resolved.
And democracy revenged as it liked: through loadshedding, suicide bombs , joblessness, fake degrees, CNG, Aphedrine, Dengue, Dollar 100 rupee ...
what is the importance of large input when there is not value added output. This large sitting record has add nothing except the burden on national exchequer.
A huge step forward, well done Pakistan :-)
@Adnan: Thank you very much for being the voice of reason. It is soooo difficult to find Pakistanis who think this way. Most of us are so short sighted that we dont understand a few years of pain can help us build a system that is viable long term and the best thing for us. We need to stay the course in terms of democracy. These looters can be brought to justice in the future if we can strengthen our institutions. Once a few elections occur, the bad politicians will decrease slowly and be replaced with people who actually do work. Democracy needs time to mature and we need to have patience. Given PPP cant use the 'military kicked us out or else we would have made pakistan great' argument again, they will lose and then it will be on sharif to prove himself. if he cant do stuff, we will have someone new come in that people will favor.
they have tasted and enjoyed unbridled power. they will be back!
Fantastic. Now what. How many roads built? How many schools built? How many jobs created? How much corruption reduced? Same old corrupt people doing round round robin.
I know that last five years have taken us few years back, but we have to be patient. There is no easy fix to the problems our country is facing and best way forward is that through this process of lame democracy our institutions get strengthened. They should only work within their jurisdictions and create a mechanism of check and balances on each other. All of our institutions i.e. parliament, armed forces, judiciary and one very important institution i.e. electronic media needs more maturity. That maturity will only come when we have election every five years and we as people go out to vote and vote correctly.
dont forget to thank the americans..!!!!!!!!
Big Deal ? How do we benefit?
Looking back at the last 5 years, I now understand perfectly well why democrazy never worked in Pakistan and what does it mean to say that 'it is the best revenge'. Adios the gang of looters, tax evaders and corrupt. Hopefully we never get to see any of you things, again.
Thank the military for this record.