Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The government on Monday failed to carry out regular business due to a lack of quorum on the fifth consecutive day.

The sessions were disrupted on 95 occasions in the last four parliamentary years due to a lack of quorum.

“The increasing engagements of lawmakers in their constituencies is the main reason behind less attendance in the House, but the change of prime minister can’t be ignored as another factor leading towards continuous lack of quorum,” said a journalist.

“Members of National Assembly (MNAs) are taking newly elected Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi quite easily and they don’t bother to attend the proceedings whereas the top leadership of ruling party also trying to present the house as meaningless in absence of Nawaz Sharif,” he added.

On Monday, the fifth consecutive proceeding has been hunted by a lack of quorum. Earlier the proceedings on September 12, 13, 14 and 15 had already been adjourned due to the same reason.

Throughout the last five sittings, Abbasi remained absent and the leader of the opposition also attended only two proceedings. As per rules, it is mandatory to ensure the presence of the required 86 members out of the total 342 members in the house and whenever a member identifies the lack of quorum, the speaker asks the staff for head count. If secretarial staff found the number more than required attendance, the speaker announces “the house is in order” and if the situation goes otherwise, the speaker adjourns the proceedings for such time, he deems necessary. Senior Director Programmes at Trust for Democratic Education and Accountability Syed Muddasir Rizvi while sharing his views with the Daily Times has said, “To maintain the quorum is primarily the responsibility of party, which requisites the session but unfortunately in our system most of the times, we found less quorum.”

“There are several loopholes in rules of business, which are negatively affecting our legislation process”, he said. “How unfortunate it is that our assembly can pass the laws with majority in present and even a law can be passed in lack of quorum if nobody points out it.”

“Politicians demand for the supremacy of parliament but their own conduct is against their wish. There is a need to further strengthen the rules whereas the penalties should be included for absent members,” he said.

A PML-N lawmaker said, “A large number of treasury members, including ministers, remained absent in last sittings because of by-polls in NA-120.”

Published in Daily Times, September 19^th 2017.