Only one-fifth MNAs attended all sittings of 26th NA session

ISLAMABAD: A report by the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) has found that only 66 members of the National Assembly out of a total of 333 attended all sittings of the 26th session of the lower house held from March 30 to April 8.

Those 66 lawmakers accounted for 20 per cent of the current membership, while 51 members, or 15 per cent, did not attend any of the six sittings during the session.

267 MNAs, representing 80 per cent of the house, missed at least one sitting during the session.

Attendance patterns during the session

Fafen said the fourth sitting saw the highest attendance, with 208 lawmakers present, which was 62 per cent of the current membership. The third sitting recorded the lowest attendance, with 134 MNAs present, or 40 per cent.

Among those who did not attend any of the six sittings were Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Nawaz Sharif, Hamza Shehbaz Sharif, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari. The list also included Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani’s sons, Syed Ali Hussain Gilani and Syed Qasim Gilani, as well as PPP lawmakers Munawar Ali Talpur and Saba Talpur.

Also absent from all sittings were PML-Q parliamentary leader Chaudhry Salik Hussain and IPP parliamentary leader Abdul Aleem Khan.

In contrast, BAP parliamentary leader Khalid Hussain Magsi and MWMP parliamentary leader Hameed Hussain attended all six sittings.

Cabinet and opposition attendance

Fafen reported that among cabinet members from the National Assembly, three federal ministers and one minister of state attended all sittings of the house.

At the same time, six ministers — including five federal ministers and one minister of state — did not attend any sitting. The report specifically noted that the prime minister did not attend any sitting.

Leader of the Opposition Mehmood Khan Achakzai attended three sittings during the session.

Question Hour and Calling Attention Notices

The report also reviewed ministerial presence during proceedings requiring official responses.

Of the 19 federal ministers scheduled to respond during the Question Hour, only four were present on the day they were required to answer questions, according to Fafen.

Similarly, of the five ministers required to respond to Calling Attention Notices, four were marked present in one sitting.

The findings cover the 26th session of the National Assembly held between March 30 and April 8 and present an overview of attendance by lawmakers, cabinet members and parliamentary leaders during the six sittings.