National Assembly completes 2nd Year
The National Assembly of Pakistan completed 87 percent of its scheduled agenda during its second parliamentary year (March 2025 to February 2026), demonstrating improved productivity and better time management.
However, significant gaps in legislative scrutiny and executive oversight continue to raise concerns about the effectiveness of parliamentary performance, according to a report by the Free and Fair Election Network.
The Annual Performance Report noted that the Assembly held 11 sessions comprising 84 sittings, spanning a total of 263 hours and 22 minutes. Of this, 87 percent was recorded as productive time on the floor. The average delay in the start of proceedings also saw a marked improvement, dropping to 17 minutes compared to 44 minutes in the previous year.
Despite these gains, parliamentary proceedings remained heavily dominated by points of order, which consumed over 40 hours — about 17 percent of total time — surpassing the time allocated for legislative debates. Rule 288, allowing suspension of procedural requirements, was invoked 30 times to fast-track agenda items, raising concerns about limited deliberation.
On the legislative front, the Assembly passed 67 bills, including 45 government bills, eight ordinances, and 14 private members’ bills. The report highlighted that only 42 percent of government legislation addressed public-impact issues, while the majority focused on administrative or procedural matters. Notably, six bills were passed after bypassing the mandatory deliberation period, with four introduced and approved on the same day.
Oversight mechanisms showed partial improvement. A total of 1,961 questions were listed — a 44 percent increase from the previous year — with a high response rate of 91 percent. However, the Question Hour was conducted in only 35 out of 51 scheduled sittings. Similarly, while 66 percent of Calling Attention Notices received responses, over one-third were left unaddressed. The report also underscored strong participation by female lawmakers, who outperformed their male counterparts in both attendance and engagement. The Assembly achieved a Gender Responsiveness Score of 1.0, indicating equal responsiveness to agenda items from both genders, although disparities persisted in certain categories such as motions of public importance and private members’ bills.
Attendance data revealed that the average turnout stood at 200 members per sitting, representing 60 percent of the total membership. Cabinet members attended 51 percent of sittings on average, compared to 60 percent attendance by private members. The Prime Minister attended only six sittings, accounting for 7 percent, while opposition leaders showed higher engagement during their respective tenures. While 90 percent of lawmakers took part in parliamentary business, 41 members remained completely inactive. The report also pointed to a disconnect between attendance and participation, noting that at least 10 members maintained high attendance but did not contribute to proceedings. FAFEN emphasized the need for stronger legislative scrutiny, consistent application of oversight tools.
