ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly addressed 87 per cent of its scheduled agenda during its second parliamentary year (March 2025 to February 2026), reflecting improved productivity and punctuality.
However, key gaps remained in legislative deliberation, executive oversight, and effective use of parliamentary time, according to the Annual Performance Report of the Lower House released by Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen).
According to the report, the NA held 11 sessions comprising 84 sittings, meeting for a total of 263 hours and 22 minutes, of which 87 per cent constituted productive floor time. The average delay in the start of sittings reduced to 17 minutes compared to 44 minutes in the previous year.
Despite these gains, parliamentary time continued to be dominated by points of order, which consumed 40 hours and 23 minutes (17 per cent of proceedings), exceeding the time allocated for legislative debates. Rule 288, which allows suspension of procedural requirements, was invoked 30 times to expedite agenda items.
Legislative Business: The National Assembly passed 67 bills, including 45 government bills, eight ordinances, and 14 private member bills. Of the government legislation, 42 per cent related to public-impact issues, while 58 per cent concerned administrative or procedural matters.
Notably, six bills were passed after suspending the minimum deliberation period, including four that were introduced and passed on the same day. Oversight performance improves, but gaps remain: The National Assembly listed 1,961 questions for answers — a 44 per cent increase from the previous year — with an overall response rate of 91 per cent.
However, Question Hour was held in only 35 out of 51 sittings where it was scheduled. Additionally, only 66 per cent of calling attention notices received ministerial responses, while 34 per cent were not taken up.
Gender responsiveness and participation: Women members outperformed male members in both attendance and participation as they submitted more questions and maintained higher engagement across sessions.
The NA recorded a Gender Responsiveness Score (GRS) of 1.0, indicating equal responsiveness to agenda items submitted by female and male members. However, disparities persisted in specific agenda categories, particularly motions on public importance, amendments to House rules, and private member bills.
Attendance and participation trends: Average attendance stood at 200 members per sitting (60 per cent of total membership), however, cabinet members attended, on average, 51 per cent of sittings, compared to 60 per cent average attendance by private members.
The prime minister attended six sittings (7 per cent), while the former and incumbent leaders of the opposition attended 53 per cent and 100 per cent of sittings in their respective periods in office.
While 90 per cent of members participated in parliamentary business, 12 per cent, or 41, remained completely inactive. Furthermore, a gap between attendance and participation was observed, with 10 members having over 70 per cent attendance but not contributing to the proceedings.
The Fafen has emphasised the need to strengthen legislative scrutiny, ensure consistent observance of oversight mechanisms, and promote more effective use of parliamentary time to enhance democratic governance.
