Parliamentary year report: Women MPs fare well in first year

Play active role in the lawmaking process.

ISLAMABAD:

Women members of the lower house of parliament have fared quite well in the first year of their parliamentary stint, according to a report released by the Free and Fair Election Network.

The report, released on the International Women’s Day, showed that women legislators played an active role in the lawmaking process by submitting as many as a dozen private member bills (six singly and six jointly with their colleagues).

These 12 bills focused on issues related to governance, human rights, democracy and political development, the report said.

Similarly, 20 resolutions, 14 calling attention notices, 1,383 questions, 22 motions under 259 and raised a total of 64 points of order were singly submitted by women parliamentarians in the National Assembly during this period, it said.

Women members make up one-fifth of the National Assembly’s 340 seats. As many as 68 women legislators actively participated in the parliamentary proceedings either by submitting an agenda on orders of the day or participating in the on-floor details.

Half of the resolutions tabled in the nine sessions (44 of total 88) were sponsored by women MNAs - 20 singly and 24 jointly.

Meanwhile, legislators were also conducting an oversight of government ministries and departments by submitting 1,538 questions and 54 calling attention notices on the agenda. For their part, women legislators also submitted 25 motions for discussions.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 9^th, 2014.