SECRETARIAT'S Press Release

Islamabad; March 1, 2018: The House Business Advisory Committee of the National Assembly met in Parliament House, today with Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in the Chair to discuss the business for the 53rd Session of the National Assembly.
 
The meeting discussed the agenda and ways to run the proceedings of the 53rd session of the National Assembly. The Representatives of the parliamentary parties gave their proposals regarding business in the House. It was decided that the current NA Session will continue till 2nd March, 2018.

The meeting was attended by the Rana Tanveer Hussain, Minister for Science and Technology and Defence Production, Ch. Muhammad Barjees Tahir, Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan, Main Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination,Sheik Aftab Ahmed Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, MNAs, Mr. Zahid Hamid, Ch. Muhammad Ashraf, Syed Naveed Qamar, Dr. Shireen Mehrunnisa Mazari, and Seikh Salahuddin.
 

NA SECRETARIAT ISSUES NOTIFICATIONS OF PROMOTIONS OF MR.MUHAMMAD MUSHTAQ, MR.AFZAAL AHMED AZAD AND MUHAMMAD IFTIKHAR

Islamabad February 16, 2018:  The National Assembly Secretariat has  issued the notifications for the promotions of    Mr. Muhammad Mushtaq, Joint Secretary (Legislation) in BPS-20  to Additional Secretary BPS-21,  Mr. Afzaal Ahmed  Azad, Joint Secretary (Committee) in BPS- 20  to Additional Secretary BPS-21and  Mr. Iftikhar Ahmed, Deputy Secretary in BPS-19 to  Joint Secretary in BPS-20.

Mr. Muhammad Mushtaq, Additional Secretary will assume the charge of his post with effect from 16th February 2018, whereas Mr. Afzaal Ahmed Azad, Additional Secretary and Mr. Iftikhar Ahmed, Joint Secretary will assume the charge of their posts with effect from 14th February, 2018.
 

The Committee expressed dissatisfaction over the violation of service rules for filling the vacant posts in Pakistan Post.  The Committee was of the view that irregularities have been observed in the procedure adopted for appointments of lower staff in Pakistan Post. The Minister disagreed with the viewpoint of the Committee however; assured that the matter of illegalities in filling the vacant posts will be investigated and action will be taken against the responsible. The Minister further clarified that the matter is sub-judice at the stage. The Standing Committee on Postal Services met today in Parliament House under the Chairmanship of Syed Iftikhar-ul-Hassan, MNA.
 
The Committee further discussed the budgetary proposals of the ministry for the current financial year 2018-19. The ministry has demanded Rs. 346.903 million for construction / renovations of post offices all over the country. The Committee endorsed all the budgetary proposals relating to Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for the next financial year 2018-19.
 
The following MNAs, Mr. Ghulam Muhammad Lali, Sardar Mumtaz Khan, Syed Muhammad Athar Hussain Shah Gillani, Ch. Khadim Hussain, Mr. Bhawan Das, Mr. Shah Jehan Baloch, Ms. Shahida Rehmani, Mr. Lal Chand Malhi, Engineer Hamid-ul-Haq Khalil, Mr. Muhammad Muzammil Qureshi, Ms. Asiya Nasir and Ms. Aisha Syed were present in the meeting.
 

Islamabad; January 12, 2018: The President of the Republic of Indonesia H.E. Joko Widodo will address the Joint Sitting of the Parliament (Majlis -e-Shoora) on Friday 26th January, 2018. H.E. Joko Widodo will be the 17th Foreign Dignitary who address National Assembly/ Senate/ Joint Sitting of the Parliament/Constitutional Assembly of Pakistan.

The Foreign Dignitary who had addressed National Assembly/ Senate/ Joint Sitting Constitutional/ Assembly of Pakistan includes Shahanshah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, President of Philippines Mr. Diodas Macapagal, President of Indonesia Dr Ahmed Soekarno, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Mrs. Bandaranaike, President of Turkey Mr. KenanEvren, President of Palestine Mr. Yasser Arafat, President of France Mr. François Mitterrand, Speaker Majlis-i-Shura-i-Islami of Iran Hujjat Ul Islam Mehdi Karroubi, President of Iran Mr. Ali Akbar Hashmi Rafsanjani, Speaker Majlis-i-Shura-i-Islami of Iran Hojjatol Islam Val Moslemin Mr. Ali Akbar NateghNouri, Chinese President Jiang Zemin, Queen Elizabeth-II, Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, Prime Minister of China Mr. Li Kegiang and President of China Xi Jingping.

H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has the Honour to address the Joint Sitting of the Parliament thrice. President of the Republic of Indonesia H.E. Joko Widodo will be the second President of Indonesia who will address the Joint Sitting of the Parliament. Earlier President of Indonesia Dr. Ahmed Soekarno had addressed the National Assembly of Pakistan on 26 June 1963.

Islamabad; November 15, 2017: The President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has been pleased to summon the Session of the National Assembly on Thursday, 16th November, 2017 at 4: p.m. in the Parliament House, Islamabad.

The President has summoned the National Assembly Session in exercise of powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
 

Islamabad; August 4, 2017:  The Speaker National Assembly of Republic of Korea H.E. Mr. Chung Sye-Kyun will be leading the parliamentary delegation to Pakistan from August 6-9, 2017 on the invitation of the Speaker National Assembly, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, for promoting bilateral parliamentary exchanges and supplementing government-to-government interaction.

During this visit, the parliamentary delegation will call on the Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Chairman Senate; attend the Guest Book Signing Ceremony and plant sapling in the National Assembly.  Furthermore Mr. Chung Sye-Kyun will also call on the Prime Minister of Pakistan, President of Pakistan, Federal Ministers and Advisor to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs.

On the last leg of Korean visit to Pakistan, the delegation will arrive to Lahore. Korean Speaker Mr. Chung Sye-Kyun will call on Governor Punjab, Chief Minister Punjab and Speaker Punjab Provincial Assembly. He will also visit the Lahore Museum, Punjab Provincial Assembly, Badshahi Mosque and Lahore Fort as well.

Islamabad: August 4, 2017:  Khawaja Muhammad Asif, MNA has sought the record of amount of salaries including all the allowances and perks drawn by the Members of National Assembly belonging to Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) during the period of their resignations from their membership in the year 2014, under Freedom of Information Ordinance, 2002 (XCVI of 2002) from National Assembly Secretariat.

He sought these information in his letter addressed to Speaker National Assembly, Sardar Ayaz  Sadiq.  He also requested for provision of detail of amount deposited by each said member in Prime Minister’s Relief Fund. He also asked the member wise comparative statement in respect of the said period containing all type of payments admissible being a Member; amount drawn and amount deposited in the said fund.

The letter further inquired about whether each of  the said Member deposited whole amount of their salary including all other allowance/perk drawn during the period in the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund; if not, Member-wise amount saved by them in the said fund.

Islamabad 3 August 2017: On the direction of National Assembly Standing Committee on House and Library, the National Assembly Secretariat has announced to blacklist M/S Habib Rafiq from performing any construction or building project in the NA Secretariat. The announcement came after a joint inquiry committee fixed the responsibility for the delay of a project (family suites and servant quarters in the Parliament Lodges) causing heavy loss to the National Exchequer by M/S Habib Rafiq (Pvt) Ltd.

In a letter written to the Capital Development Authority (CDA), today, the NA Secretariat maintained that the inquiry committee revealed that the M/S Habib Rafiq exploited tax payer money as it caused unwarranted delay in construction of 104 family suites and 500 servant quarter in the Parliament Lodges. The letter stated its apprehension that the poor workmanship of the said company can cause similar loss on other projects across the country.

The joint inquiry committee comprising of NA Secretariat as client and CDA as executing agency probed the matter on the direction of the House and Library Committee chaired by the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Murtaza Javed Abbasi.

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Islamabad the 4th May, 2017. A meeting of the Standing Committee on Inter Provincial Coordination held today in the Committee Room No.7, Parliament House, Islamabad, under the Chairmanship of Mr. Abdul Qahar Khan Wadan, MNA,  a comprehensive briefing by the Chairman, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over the affairs of the Pakistan Cricket Board and its future program.

2. The Chairman, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) briefed the Committee about the aims objectives and achievements of PCB in detailed. Most of the Committee Members discussed  the PSL matches and suggested that the final of PSL which was played in Lahore, in next time it may be arranged in other big cities of the country especially at Karachi. To review the International Cricket in the Country, the PCB should make hectic efforts in this regard and other countries may be invited to play in Pakistan. The Chairman responded that the P.C.B. had recently approached three (3) countries for cricket matches in Lahore and hopefully they will come in this year.

3. The Chairman, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) further apprised the Committee that before the final of PSL in Lahore, the ICC was contacted and (8) Security Advisors have visited Lahore to see the security arrangements. The Security Advisors after thorough inspection of the security they showed their satisfaction and successfully the event of final match was played in the Country which shows the good image of the Country.

4. During the course of discussion, the spot fixing matters was discussed and directed that an impartial inquiry may be conducted and peoples behind the players for this heinous crime may be traced and should be punished including the PCB administration. A legislation may be made in this regard and declare spot fixing as criminal offence.

5. The Committee showed their satisfaction over the construction of Five Star Hotels over PCB land situated at Karachi along with a cricket stadium at one place to accommodate the players and the delegations arrived from different countries to strengthen the safety and security of the players and save the wasting of time of peoples to pick the players from different hotels and closing of roads etc.

6. It is further apprised the Committee that currently Under-13 cricket team at first time has been introduced and expected to achieve better results to select the cricketers form gross root level. At present, with the efforts of PCB about 800 Schools including Private Institutions played Cricket with each other to revive this game in the country.            

7. The Secretary General, Pakistan Hockey Federation apprised the Committee about the activities and review the hockey in 2016-17 brought many opportunities to take bold steps at gross roots level in this game. The PHF has carried out a number of activities at international and domestic level such as 5th Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament, 4 Nations Cup in Australia, Women Asian Championship (after 4 years), Test Series against Newzeland and 12th South Asian Games (Gold Medal). The need to set up the office of Pakistan Hockey Federation at Islamabad was discussed and the Committee recommended that its Head office may be established at Islamabad.  

8. The Meeting was attended by Rana Muhammad Afzal Khan, Rana Muhammad Hayat Khan, Chaudhary Nazeer Ahmed, Mr. Saeed Ahmed Khan  Manais, Sardar Muhammad Shafqat Hayat Khan, Begum Tahira Bukhari, Ms. Sabiha Nazir, Mr. Aftab Shahban Mirani, Dr. Mahreen Razzaque Bhutto, Mr. Siraj Muhammad Khan, Mr. Mujahid Ali, Syed Kazim Ali Shah, Moulana Amir Zaman and Dr. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani MNAs, Additional Secretary and Senior Officer of the Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination, Chairman, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and  Secretary General, Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) also.
 

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The Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs met today i.e 19th April, 2017 at 2:00 p.m in Committee Room No. 7, Parliament House, Islamabad under the Chairmanship of Mian Abdul Mannan, MNA.

The Committee considered the “The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2014” and unanimously passed the same as introduced in the National Assembly. The Committee members were of the firm opinion that Election Laws should be formulated to facilitate the women in the country. The Committee also discussed the “The Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2016”and unanimously passed/recommended. Both Bills were moved by Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho, MNA.

Ms. Shagufta Jumani, MNA, Special Invitee presented a proposal regarding to provide medical treatment for honourable members in their respective cities by the government. She also presented another suggestion about to give pension to the honourable Members @ half of the amount of his last granted pay. She added that members should be entitled for life insurance during his tenure. She stated that it is common practice in other countries to provide facilities like health insurance and pension etc. The Committee was informed by the honourable Chairman of the Committee that an informal Committee may be constituted to discuss the matters of parliamentarians in this regard.

The Secretary, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) briefed the Committee about the existing strength of ECP and required human resources for the strengthening of ECP. He informed that 674 officers were required to be appointed as Regional Election Commissioners, District Election Commissioners and Assistant Returning Officers. The Secretary, ECP informed the Committee about the acute shortage of human resource in ECP. He also informed that government has been provided 75 vehicles to ECP and rest of 75 may be delivered shortly. He added that ECP has got new rented accommodation in different cities, wherein 29 strong rooms would be constructed till next general election. The Committee members were of the view that ECP should appoint 50% employees as dedicated employees and rest 50% posts should be filled by contractual employment, however, the Committee was informed by the Additional Secretary ECP that lower staff may be appointed on contract basis.

The Committee strongly recommended that ECP should be provided maximum budget according to their requirement. The Committee further recommended that salaries package of ECP employees should be enhanced.

Meeting was attended by Ms. Shahida Rehmani, Dr. Shazia Sobia, Ms. Nafeesa Inayatullah Khan Khattak, Malik Ihtebar Khan, Dr. Muhammad Afzal Khan Dhandla, Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho (Mover), Ms. Shagufta Jumani, Special Invitee and besides senior officers from Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, ECP & Ministry of Law.

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Islamabad; April 12, 2017: The House Business Advisory Committee of the National Assembly met in Parliament House, today with Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in the Chair to discuss the business for the 41st Session of the National Assembly.
 
The meeting discussed the agenda and ways to run the proceedings of the 41st session of the National Assembly. The Representatives of the parliamentary parties gave their proposals regarding business in the House. It was decided that the current NA Session will continue till 21st April, 2017.
 
The meeting was attended by the Mr. Zahid Hamid, Minister for Law and Justice and Climate Change, Ch. Muhammad Barjees Tahir, Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan,  Mr. Jam Kamal Khan, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Resources, MNAs  Ch. Muhammad Ashraf, Syed Naveed Qamar, Dr. Shireen Mehrunnisa Mazari, Sheikh Salahuddin, and Sahibzada Tariq Ullah. 

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Islamabad; April 8, 2017: Chairman of the House of Representatives of Belarus Mr. Vladimir Andreinchenko along with a Parliamentary Delegation will arrive in Islamabad on 10th April, 2017 on a 4-days official visit to Pakistan. Chairman of the House of Representatives of Belarus is visiting Pakistan on the invitation of Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.

The delegation will be received by Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, Chairman Standing Committee for Foreign Affairs along with senior officials of National Assembly Secretariat at Benazir Bhutto International Airport. This visit of Chairman is first ever visit of any Presiding Officer of House of Representatives of Belarus.

During this visit, the Parliamentary delegation will call on the Prime Minister, the President, the Chairman Senate, Speaker National Assembly and the Federal Ministers. The Speakers of both the Parliaments shall also sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony. Matters pertaining to enhance cooperation between the National Assembly of Pakistan and House of Representatives of Belarus and possibilities of economic cooperation between both the countries will be discussed. Chairman of the House of Representatives of Belarus Mr. Vladimir Andreinchenko will also address Members of Pak-Belarus Friendship Group.

The visit of the Belarus Parliamentary delegation is intended to inject a new vitality into the bilateral Parliamentary linkages and supplement the endeavors of government in broadening and deepening bilateral ties with Belarus.

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The Standing Committee was briefly apprised about the research work of new cotton varieties for better cotton production and improving soil health by using modern techniques and methods. The meeting of the Standing Committee on Textile Industry held today in Directorate of Marketing & Economic Research, Pakistan Central Cotton Committee PCCC, Multan under the Chairmanship of Khawaja Ghulam Rasool Koreja, MNA.

The Committee appreciated the efforts of the ministry for encouraging the growth of cotton by using modern techniques and methods however, recommended that awareness should be given to the cotton growers and farmers through electronic and press media which could be helpful to increase the cotton growth in the Country. The Committee recommended that PCCC should make efforts for increasing the area of cotton growing and also fixed the support price so that local farmer could be benefited.
 
The Committee observed that due to non-existence of Trade Cooperation of Pakistan the price of cotton was decreased day by day however, the Committee directed the ministry to ensure to make operational the Trade Cooperation of Pakistan in order to facilitate the cotton growers.The Committee also directed that ministry should coordinate with Government of Punjab for extending the lease agreement of the land of Central Cotton Research Institute Multan. The Committee recommended that incentives should also be given to the cotton industry to develop the interest of farmers in cotton growing so that the huge revenue could be added to the Government exchequer. The Committee was of the view that the strength of scientists and staff should also be increased in order to make the research work more effective in cotton growing.
 
MNAs, Sardar Muhammad Shafqat Hayat Khan, Ms. GhulamBibiBharwana, Malik Shakir Bashir Awan, Mr. Abdul Rashid Godil, Malik Abdul GhaffarDogar, Mr. Jamshaid Ahmed Dasti, attended the meeting, besides the officials of the Ministry.  
 

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Islamabad; March, 9 2017: Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, has constituted six members Parliamentary Committee under the convener ship of Mr. Ghous Bux Mehar MNA to probe the unpleasant incident of scuffle between Mr. Murad Saeed MNA and Mr. Javed Latif MNA happened at outer gate of Parliament House today. The Committee will submit it’s reports by 16th March, 2017 to the Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the other members of the committee are Sahibzada Tariq Ullah, MNA Sheikh Salahuddin, MNA Mr. Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani, MNA Ms. Shahida  Akhtar Ali, MNA  and  Mr. Ijaz Ul Haq, MNA.

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The Standing Committee on Water and Power deferred “The Indus River System Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2017” due to the absence of the Mover. The Committee decided to consider the said Bill in its next meeting. The meeting of the Standing Committee on Water and Power held today in Parliament House under the Acting Chairmanship of Mr. Muhammad Junaid Anwaar Chaudhary, MNA.

 The Committee also discussed the issue of non-payment of salaries to the officers/officials of Vigilance Directorate of WAPDA. The Committee was informed that the matter is sub-judice before the Honorable High Court and Ministry is trying to resolve the matter outside the Court. The Committee appreciated the efforts of the ministry for resolving the matter to avoid the unnecessary litigation.

 MNAs, Malik Ihtebar Khan, Lt. Col. (Retd.) Ghulam Rasul Sahi, Rana Muhammad Ishaq Khan, Pir Muhammad Aslam Bodla, Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah, Mr. Junaid Akbar, Mr. Salim Rehman, Syed Waseem Hussain, Maulana Muhammad Gohar Shah, attended the meeting, besides the officials of the Ministry.       
 

The Standing Committee on Defence Production met in the Parliament House today, the 20th February, 2017, in Committee Room No. 7, at 11:00 a.m., under the Chairmanship of Khawaja Sohail Mansoor, MNA, on the following agenda:-

i) Confirmation of minutes of last meeting (visit) of the Committee held on 9th January, 2017, at Taxila.

ii)To discuss to budgetary proposals regarding Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) for the next financial year, 2017-18, made by Ministry of Defence Production.

 2.The Committee approved/confirmed the last minutes of the meeting.

3.The Committee was briefed by the Managing Director, Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KS&EW) regarding its Public Sector Development Project for installation of shiplift and transfer system & associated machinery, equipment to provide docking and repair facilities. After discussion the Committee highly appreciated the role of Minister for Defence Production, Chief of Navel Staff and Managing Director, KS&EW for making the institution as profitable industry. 

 3.The Committee recommended that requisite (lump sum) funds for 2016-17 and 2017-18 by the Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KS&EW) for installation of shiplift and transfer system & associated machinery, equipment to provide docking and repairing facilities may be released on priority basis in the better interest of  country.

4.The Committee recommended that next meeting of the Committee would be convened to discuss the establishing of new Shipyards at Karachi Port Qasim and Gawadar Port. The Committee decided that Secretaries, Ministry of Finance & Revenue, Ministry of Planning & Development, Ministry of Ports & Shipping and Chairmen/Secretaries, Gawadar Development Authority, Karachi Port Qasim would also be invited in the said meeting.

5.Meeting was attended by Mr. Muhammad Khan Daha, Dr. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, Chudhary Hamid Hameed, Mr. Bhawan Das, Ms. Amra Khan, Ms. Iffat Liaqat, Ms. Asyia Nasir, MNAs, besides the senior officers of the Ministry of Defence Production (MoDP), Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KS&EW) and Ministry of Planning & Development.
 

Islamabad, February 20, 2017:  The Parliamentary Committee on CPEC met today under the Chairmanship of Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, to discuss the security of CPEC (projects and personnel) with reference to role of newly formed Special Security Division (SSD) and Maritime Security Force and its role in security of Gwadar port.

In this connection the Senior Officers of the Ministry of Defence, Interior and Communication briefed the Committee in detail about the formation, Jurisdiction, working and challenges ahead for these newly created security agencies. The Members put many questions to understand the role of each security agency and coordination among them. The Committee appreciated the high spirit, determination and preparedness of Special Security Division (SSD) and Maritime Security Force as well as Paramilitary and Police Force deployed to safeguard and protect personnel and projects of CPEC.

The meeting was attended by Rana Muhammad Afzal Khan, Dr. Ibadullah, Mr. Isphanyar M. Bhandara, Mr. Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani, Alhaj Shahji Gul Afridi, Mr. Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, MNAs, Senator Lt. Gen. (Retd) Salahuddin Tirmizi, Senator Shibli Faraz, and Senior Officers of Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Planning, Ministry of Communication and Mr. Nasim Khalid, Secretary of the Parliamentary Committee on CPEC also attend the meeting.
 

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Islamabad, January 15, 2017: The National Assembly Spokesperson has made clarification regarding the remarks published in the Daily Nawa-e-Waqt on 12.1.2017 that it trashed the Unattended Orphans (Rehabilitation and Welfare) Bill, 2016, passed by the Senate.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the NA Spokesperson said that the Bills originating in the Senate and transmitted to the Assembly were processed in the National Assembly Secretariat strictly in accordance with the provisions of Article 70 of the Constitution read with rules 144, 145 & 146 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007.  

He referred to Article 70 of the Constitution which provides that a Bill with respect to any matter in the Federal Legislative List may originate in either House and shall, if it is passed by the House in which it originated, be transmitted to the other House and if it is rejected or is not passed within ninety days of its laying (and not within 90-days of transmission) in the House, at the request of the House in which it originated, it shall be considered in the joint sitting.

In pursuance of rule 144, the Secretary National Assembly has circulated every Bill among the members of Assembly transmitted by the Senate to the National Assembly. The Spokesperson highlighted that under rule 145, at any time after the Bill has been so circulated, any Minister in the case of a Government Bill or, in any other case, any member may give notice of his intention to move that the Bill be taken into consideration.                                                                                                           

He further stated that under rule 146, on the day on which the motion for consideration is put down in the Orders of the Day, the Minister or, as the case may be, the member giving notice may move that the Bill be taken into consideration. He reiterated that unless any member or a Minister gives Notice of his intention to move such motion, no further proceedings can be conducted in this regard.

He also informed that till date 17 Government Bills, transmitted by the Senate to the present National Assembly were duly processed by the Secretariat, considered/passed by the National Assembly and enacted. The Spokesperson said that five Private Member’s Bills referred to the Joint Sitting were passed as well. However, 19 Private Members’ Bills were transmitted by the Senate to the National Assembly which as per rules were circulated among the members and are still awaiting notices for consideration to be given by a member of the Assembly under rule 145 of the Rules of Procedure. Unless any member gives notice of the same it cannot be processed/considered by the National Assembly.

 He categorically emphasized that the Unattended Orphans (Rehabilitation and Welfare) Bill, 2016 on its receipt from the Senate was promptly processed in the National Assembly as it was duly circulated amongst the Members, laid before the Assembly, referred to the Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat for its consideration and report to the Assembly which was done accordingly and was also placed on the Orders of the Day. Therefore the Bill was duly and effectively processed as per rules. Astonishingly, while making the alleged statement of trashing the aforesaid Bill by the National Assembly, they forgot that as a consequence of similar parliamentary practices two Bills passed by the National Assembly namely the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (Amendment) Bill, 2016 and the Civil Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2016 were also returned to National Assembly having not been passed by the Senate within ninety days.

Islamabad; January 3, 2017: An unprecedented two-day International Parliamentary Seminar on Kashmir organized by Young Parliamentarians Forum (YPF), National Assembly of Pakistan under the patronage of the Honorable Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, commences on Thursday, January 5, 2017. It is for the first time that the Parliament of Pakistan is hosting an international meet to delve upon the imperative issue of right of self-determination of people of Kashmir.

The event aims to analyze the plight of people of Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) & issues regarding Indian brutalities since the rise of the new wave of self-determination after the martyrdom of BurhanWani in July 2016. Various dignitaries comprising around 20 International Member Parliaments and experts from European Parliament, UK, Canada and North America, in addition to 400 national delegates comprising Members Parliament of Pakistan, academia, social scientists, think tanks, international reporters and students, would be the participants of the Seminar. Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Services (PIPS), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Kashmir Affairs &Gilgit-Baltistan as well as the government of Azad Jammu Kashmir are collaborating with the Parliament of Pakistan to convene this seminar on 5th & 6th of January 2017.

Honorable Speaker National Assembly of Pakistan, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq envisioned the idea for the Seminar and designated Ms. Shaza Fatima Khawaja, MNA as its convener. Ms. Shaza Fatima Khawaja also serves as the General Secretary of Young Parliamentarians Forum, National Assembly of Pakistan. MNA Ms. Romina Khurshid Alam, Media Coordinator of YPF, will be serving as the Chief Coordinator for the Seminar.

At the international or global level, the Kashmir dispute presented itself as a test case for the emerging international peace and security architecture under the auspices of the United Nations Security Council. UN recognizes Kashmir as a disputed territory. In this regard, several resolutions have been passed and various observer groups have been deployed; yet the dispute continues to linger on. Since 1989, there as been blatant state terrorism on the part of 7 lac Indian troops who have killed more than 89,000 innocent men, women and children in their just struggle of self-determination.

The International Parliamentary Seminar will provide a platform to highlight three primary aspects of the issue; firstly, solution of Kashmir is imperative as it has become a clear issue of humanitarian crisis with thousands killed with phenomenon of mass blinding, mass-graves and half-widows staring in the eyes of humanity to give them their just right of freedom. Secondly, Kashmir is a disputed territory as per UNSC resolution and a nuclear flashpoint that remains to threaten peace and security of South Asia, the most populated region of the world. Last but not the least it is totally an indigenous and peaceful struggle of people of Indian Occupied Kashmir that the world community needs to recognize and respond to their just movement of right of self-determination.

Keeping in view the importance of this Seminar, Honorable Prime Minister of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif would grace the inaugural session for the formal commencement. The Seminar & its session have been spread over a period two days with debates & talks on various crucial issues. Welcome address of the opening plenary will be delivered by MNA Shaza Fatima Khawaja, followed by the key note address by the Honorable Speaker ofthe National Assembly of Pakistan, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. A speech by Honorable Sartaj Aziz, Adviser to the PM on Foreign Affairs will then be delivered. Honorable Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan will conclude with his esteemed remarks.

After the inaugural session, first plenary panel discussion would be held on The Role of the United Nations and Major Powers in Kashmir Dispute. The session would be chaired by Honorable Sardar Masood Khan, President of AJK. The second debate/discussion would be held on Kashmir Issue: In perspective of Humanitarian Crisis to be chaired by Ms. Marriyum Aurangzeb, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting. The third intellectually engaging panel discussion titled Pakistan-India relations: Socio-economic & Security Implications would be chaired by Honorable Mr. Raja Muhammad Farooq Haider Khan, Prime Minister Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK).

The concluding session of the International Seminar on Kashmir would be addressed by Chairman Senate of Pakistan Mian Raza Rabbani. This session will include the revision & consolidation of points gathered in through plenary sessions. Ms. Romina Khursheed Alam, will deliver the vote of thanks as the official conclusion of the Seminar.
 

A meeting of the S/C on Climate Change was held under the Chairmanship of Dr. Hafeez-ur-Rehman Khan Drishak, MNA in Parliament House. The Standing Committee discussed the measures taken to address vulnerability of Climate Change and also briefed to the S/C regarding recommendations/proposals given by the think tank regarding climate change.

The Committee suggested to call all the representatives of the Provinces in the next Committee meeting to discuss the establishment of “National Wetland Authority” and also revisit the “Consultative Group on Climate Change” so that all the Provinces could get properly representation in it.

Members who attended the meeting are Dr. Hafeez-ur-Rehman Khan Drishak, MNA, Chaudhry Khalid Javaid Warraich, MNA, Ms. Tahira Aurangzeb, MNA, Ms. Seema Mohiuddin Jameeli, MNA, Ms. Shahnaz Saleem, MNA, Ms. Khalida Mansoor, MNA, Ms. Nighat Parveen Mir, MNA, Mr. Imran Zafar Leghari, MNA,  Ms. Mussarat Ahmad Zeb, MNA, Mr. Abdul Qahar Khan Wadan, MNA, Ms. Naeema Kishwer Khan, MNA.

The Pakistan – Afghanistan Friendship Group in the National Assembly of Pakistan (PFG) met under its Convener Mr. Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, MNA on Thursday, October 20, 2016.

The PFG expressed great concern over the deterioration of Pakistan – Afghanistan relations and reiterated its position that it is in the interests of the people and the governments of both nations that we build a strong and stable relationship. The governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan must take effective steps to address the misgivings of both sides as this is the only way to achieve sustainable peace and prosperity in our region.

The PFG stressed the importance of parliamentary diplomacy which has played an important role in improving Pakistan – Afghanistan ties. In calling for greater parliamentary exchanges between both countries, the PFG recommends that parliamentary exchanges be extended to include the Provinces by creating similar Friendship Groups in the Provincial Assemblies. For this purpose, letters have already been issued to the Speakers of the Provincial Assemblies.

On the issue of the repatriation of Afghan refugees, the PFG stressed the need for the repatriation process to be honorable and humane and asserted that the Afghan refugees should not be subjected to harassment during this process.  

Islamabad, 29^th September, 2016: Under the direction of the Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, an enlightening lecture on the Kashmir dispute was held in National Assembly Secretariat on Thursday. The Member of the National Assembly from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and former head of Strategic Studies Department of Quaid-e-Azam University, Dr. Shireen Mehrunnisa Mazari delivered a comprehensive talk on various dimensions of the Kashmir conflict.

Ms. Shireen Mazari highlighted that Kashmir is not a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan but an international dispute ever since India brought it to the United Nation Security Council (UNSC) in 1948 under Chapter VI. Relying on the text of the UN Resolutions, she elaborated the legal status of Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir and added that Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir is well rooted in international law and UNSC resolutions affirming the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people. Ms. Mazari highlighted that Pakistan strictly adheres to UN Resolutions on Kashmir and urged the international community to take notice of Indian atrocities and handedness in Kashmir.

Dr. ShireenMazari remarked that India continues to flout UN Resolutions, violate human rights with impunity and suppress people’s right to self-determination, does not deserve a permanent seat at UNSC. Responding a question that Pakistan has been globally isolated as evident from the recent boycott of SAARC Summit by India, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, she remarked that such boycotts is not tantamount to Pakistan regional and global isolation.

Proposing viable solutions to the intractable Kashmir conflict, Ms. Mazari drew parallels between East Timor, Aland Island, Trieste, the Andorra models and the Kashmir issue. However, she suggested that the most viable model for resolution of Kashmir issue, in her opinion, is the Good Friday Agreement, which resolved the Northern Ireland conflict. She also underlined the need for a coherent Policy on Kashmir.

The lecture was 1^st part of a series of lectures by the expert members of Parliament on specialized subjects. Regardless of party affiliations, the Speaker National Assembly has launched an initiative of special lectures to transform the National Assembly Secretariat into a well informed and learning organization. The lecture on Kashmir conflict was attended by Members of the National Assembly and Officers of the Secretariat.

Islamabad September 08, 2016: Special Secretary National Assembly Secretariat is to lodge complaint before Chairman Pakistan Electronic Regulatory and Media Authority (PEMRA) regarding the disinformation aired on different news channels on 8th September, 2016 about a direction falsely attributed to Honourable Speaker that the issue of Panama Leaks should not be taken up during proceedings of any Standing Committee. He further informed that Hon. Speaker has not made any such direction to any Standing Committee to restrain them from considering any agenda or issue. He said that the channels which have spread the said disinformation would be proceeded against under the law including initiation of proceedings for committing contempt of the Assembly, its Committees and the Speaker who has wrongly and maliciously been maligned through the said disinformation.

It has also been pointed out that one of the Standing Committees of the National Assembly, namely, Public Accounts Committee, comprising members of PML(N) and other Parliamentary Parties, today in the Parliament House considered the agenda relating to Panama Papers with the directions to all the concerned including State Bank of Pakistan, Federal Investigation Agency, Foreign Affairs and Security Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) for doing the needful during its next meeting.

Even the Standing Committee on Finance, Economic Affairs, Revenue, Statistics and Privatization also today discussed the issue of the Panama Papers with the determination to again take it up during its next meeting. All this nullified the veracity of the contents of said news constituting disinformation spread by the said channels today.

Islamabad; August 8, 2016: The House Business Advisory Committee of the National Assembly met in Parliament House, today with Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in the Chair to further discuss the business for the current Session of the National Assembly.

It has been decided in the Committee that current session of the National Assembly will be continued till 17th August, 2016 The Committee also decided that on 10th August 2016 will be observed as  69th Anniversary of the constitutional Assembly of Pakistan and Members, will deliver speeches during the Session on said day in this regard. It is pertinent to mention that the  first Session of the constitutional Assembly of Pakistan was held on 10th August, 1947 in Karachi . The Committee also condemned the bomb blast at Civil Hospital, Quetta and expressed deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives.   

The meeting was attended by the Mr. Zahid Hamid, Minister for Law & Justice, Rana Tanveer Hussain Minister for Defence Production and Science & Technology, Sheikh Aftab Ahmad, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, MNAs; Syed Naveed Qamar, Dr. Shireen Mehrunissa Mazari, Sheikh Salahuddin, Al-Hajj Shah Jee Gul Afridi and Sahibzada Tariq Ullah

A meeting of the S/C on Climate Change was held under the Chairmanship of Dr. Hafeez-ur-Rehman Khan Drishak, MNA in Parliament House. The Standing Committee discussed the measures taken by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to prevent flood damages. It was also discussed during the meeting that institutions related to climate change / environment should be strengthen. 

The Ministry of Climate Change also briefed to the S/C regarding their recent visit of China and its objective which was  “to learn forest hand how the Chinese have managed to use floods for economic and environmental benefits along the Yangtze River Basin in line with the recommendations of the 2012 Ramsar Mission to Pakistan”.

Members who attended the meeting were Mr. Salman Hanif, MNA, Ms. Seema Mohiuddin Jameeli, MNA, Ms. Tahira Aurangzeb, MNA, Ms. Shahnaz Saleem, MNA Mr. Abdul Qahar Khan Wadan, MNA, and Mr. Zahid Hamid, MNA, Minister for Climate Change.
 

Islamabad, May 24, 2016: Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has constituted a 12 member Parliamentary Committee on Panama Papers.

The Speaker has constituted the Parliamentary Committee in pursuance of the motion adopted by the National Assembly on 19.5.2016 and Senate on 20.5.2016.

The 12 member Committee is comprised of six members of treasury benches and six of opposition benches from both Houses. The Committee is mandated with considering various options for inquiring into important issues raised in the controversy over the “Panama Papers” and other reports in the media related to Off-shore companies, transfer of funds and written-off bank loans. It will also formulate the ToRs of such forum and determine the timeline for submission of the report.

The Speaker is authorized to replace any member of the Committee on the request of the leader of the Parliamentary Party concerned.

The notification has specified a period of two weeks for the Committee to submit its report to the Parliament.

The members of the Committee are Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Senator Aitzaz Ahsan, Senator Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo, Senator Muhammad Ali Khan Saif, Senator Ilyas Ahmad Balour, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, MNA, Khawaja Saad Rafique, MNA, Mr. Akram Khan Durrani, MNA , Ms. Anusha Rehman Khan Advocate, MNA , Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi, MNA, Sahibzada Tariq Ullah, MNA and Ch. Tariq Bashir Cheema, MNA.

First meeting of the Committee will be held on Wednesday May 25, 2016.

Islamabad, May 21, 2016: National Assembly Spokesman has given a clarification statement over the remarks made by the Chairman Senate published in newspapers yesterday on 21.5.2016. Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani had expressed his displeasure over eight bills that the Senate had passed and sent to the lower house of parliament, and said that these were pending in the secretariat.

In a statement issued on Saturday, NA Spokesman said that Bills originating in the Senate and transmitted to the Assembly are being processed in the National Assembly Secretariat strictly in accordance with the provisions of the Article 70 of the Constitution read with rules 144, 145 & 146 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007.  

He said that Article 70 provides that a Bill with respect to any matter in the Federal Legislative List may originate in either House and shall, if it is passed by the House in which it originated, be transmitted to the other House and if it is rejected or is not passed within ninety days of its laying (and not within 90-days of transmission) in the House, at the request of the House in which it originated, it shall be considered in a joint sitting.

In pursuance of rule 144, the Secretary National Assembly has circulated among all members of Assembly every Bill transmitted by the Senate to the Assembly. The details of each Bill can be verified from the National Assembly Secretariat, he added. Spokesman highlighted that under rule 145, at any time after the Bill has been so circulated, any Minister in the case of a Government Bill or, in any other case, any member may give notice of his intention to move that the Bill be taken into consideration. He clarified that no Bill can be moved in the Assembly or processed in the Secretariat without such notice.

He said that under rule 146, on the day on which the motion for consideration is put down in the Orders of the Day, the Minister or, as the case may be, the member giving notice may move that the Bill be taken into consideration. He reiterated that unless any member or a Minister gives Notice of his intention to move such motion, no further proceedings can be conducted in this regard.

He informed that till date 16-Government Bills, transmitted by the Senate to the present Assembly, were duly processed by the Secretariat, considered/passed by the Assembly and enacted, accordingly. Similarly, 21 Private Members’ Bills were transmitted by the Senate to the Assembly which were as per rules circulated to the members. All the Bills of which Notices for consideration were received, were put down in the Orders of the Day. He further apprised that the Bills which were not passed within 90-days of their laying in the Assembly were returned to the Senate under rule 151. The spokesman said that out of the Bills referred to the Joint Sitting, 3-Bills were passed whereas 2-Bills are still pending in the Joint Sitting. At the moment in the National Assembly, only 1-Bill is pending before a Standing Committee whereas all remaining Bills are still awaiting notices for consideration to be given by a member of the Assembly.

The spokesman briefed that the Bills referred to in the Print Media on 21^st May 2016 require a notice for consideration under rule 145. The office of the Chairman Senate was briefed at 10.00 a.m. on 20^th May, 2016 about the details of such Bills passed by the Senate, transmitted to the Assembly and awaiting Notices for consideration under rule 145.

He concluded that it was inconceivable as to why it had been made a point for determination beyond the scope of provisions of the Constitution and rules governing the legislative procedures of both Houses. He said that because identical procedure has been prescribed under rule 118, 119 and 120 of the Senate Rules, with regard to Bills originating in the Assembly and transmitted to the Senate, requiring the Secretary Senate to firstly circulate it among Senators and then put down the motion for consideration on the Orders of the Day only on receipt of a notice therefore from a Senator.

(MUHAMMAD MOHSIN IQBAL)

Director (Media)

Islamabad, the 20th May, 2016: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Friday, the 3rd June, 2016, at 4:30 p.m.
 

Sd/-
(ABDUL JABBAR ALI)
Secretary

Islamabad; May 9, 2016: The House Business Advisory Committee of the National Assembly met in Parliament House, today with Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in the Chair to discuss the business for the 32nd Session of the National Assembly.

The meeting discussed the agenda and ways to run the proceedings of the 32nd session of the National Assembly. The Representatives of all the parliamentary parties gave their proposals regarding business in the House. It was decided that the current NA Session will continue till May 20, 2016.

The meeting was attended by Rana Tanveer Hussain, Minister of Defence Production and Science & Technology, Ch. Muhammad Barjees Tahir, Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination, MNAs; Mr. Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani, Dr. Shireen Mehrunissa Mazari, Mr. Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Mr. Iqbal Muhammad Ali Khan, Sheikh Salahuddin, Maulana Muhammad Khan Shirani,  Al- Hajj Shah Jee Gul Afridi, Sahibzada Tariq Ullah and Ch. Tariq Bashir Cheema.

Islamabad, the 5th May, 2016: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Monday, the 9th  May, 2016, at 5:00 p.m.

Sd/-
Secretary
National Assembly Secretariat

April 29, 2016, Islamabad: Under the direction of the Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the Strategic Plan Oversight Committee (SPOC) met to review the targets of the National Assembly Strategic Plan (NASP) to make the Parliament of Pakistan more efficient and more effective. The meeting was chaired by Ms Marriyam Aurangzeb MNA/Convener of the Strategic Plan Oversight Committee (SPOC) today in the SDGs Secretariat of the National Assembly.

Convener of the Committee Ms. Marriyam suggested that SPOC should be converted into Parliamentary Committee. She also told that the NASP will be the living document of the NA Secretariat which will guide the Parliamentarians and Secretariat’s staff for the institutional development. She highlighted the Green Parliament Project as a reality of being first Solar Powered Parliament of the World. While discussing the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), she stressed the Provincial Legislatures to take lead in addressing the issues related to the development as National Assembly has highlighted the issue of Malnutrition and brought all the stakeholders on the table in the First parliamentary Meet on Malnutrition organized by the SDGs Task Force of the National Assembly.

While briefing the committee, Joint Secretary of the Program Management Unit of the National Assembly told that National Assembly Secretariat has establishment the Legislative Drafting Counsel (LDC) and the counsel has already commenced the training course and the second course of the LDC is in developmental stages. It was told that the human resource has been increased in the Research & Library Wing of the National Assembly Secretariat. Moreover, it was stressed that research wing of the National Assembly has to be equipped with the state of the art facilities and research tools in order to provide quality research for the Parliamentarians.

The committee was briefed that the capacity building workshops and training sessions has been conducted by the IP3 including the sessions on PSDP and Financial management of the members and Secretariat. The Committee appreciated the on job daily capacity building classes of the NA Secretariat & Committee staff for capacity building.

It was shared that Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) project of the National Assembly is in progress and NA hall is now equipped with large LED screens for the convenience of the Parliamentarians, it is the first step towards the paperless parliament.  It was told that NA website will also be revamped.

The Committee was also briefed that the three successful batches of the Young Parliamentary Associates (YPAs) and now PIPS has taken the lead to provide the research support to Parliamentarians. PIPS is devising a comprehensive internship program for the purpose.  It was also shared that Parliamentary Studies Program will be launched soon in the different universities in order to provide new young people to support the institute in the future and to educate youth about the parliamentary functions.

Secretary National Assembly has reaffirmed that the Secretariat is committed to provide all out support to implement the NASP with its true spirit. He suggested that the SPOC should meet atleast once in a month to review the progress.

Members SPOC, Muhammad Khan Daha (MNA), Ms Asiya Nasir (MNA), Ms. Rumina Khurshid Alam (MNA), Ms Yasmeen Rehman (Former MNA), Abdul Jabbar Ali (Secretary National Assembly) and senior officers of the secretariat were also present.

Islamabad, the 15^th April, 2016: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to prorogue the National Assembly session on 15^th April, 2016 on the conclusion of its business.

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Islamabad; April 7, 2016: The House Business Advisory Committee of the National Assembly met in Parliament House, today with Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in the Chair to discuss the business for the 31st Session of the National Assembly.

The meeting discussed the agenda and ways to run the proceedings of the 31st session of the National Assembly. The Representatives of all the parliamentary parties gave their proposals regarding business in the House. It was decided that the current NA Session will continue till April 15, 2016.

The meeting was attended by Mr. Zahid Hamid, Minister for Law and Justice, Rana Tanveer Hussain, Minister of Defence Production and Science & Technology, Ch. Muhammad Barjees Tahir, Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination, Sheikh Aftab Ahmed, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs/Chief Whip of the Pakistan Muslim League (N), MNAs; Syed Naveed Qamar, Dr. Shireen Mehrunissa Mazari, Mr. Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Ch. Muhammad Ashraf, Mr. Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani,  Al- Hajj Shah Jee Gul Afridi and Sahibzada Tariq Ullah.

Islamabad, the 25th March, 2016: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to prorogue the National Assembly session on 25th March, 2016 on the conclusion of its business.

Islamabad:  March 25, 2016: In pursuance of the provisions of clause (3) of Article 53 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Mr. Murtaza Javed Abbasi, Deputy Speaker National Assembly shall act as Speaker National Assembly vice Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Speaker, National Assembly who has proceeded on a visit abroad.

Islamabad, the 18th March, 2016: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) in joint sitting to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Monday, the 21st March, 2016, at 05.00 p.m.
Sd/-
Acting Secretary

Islamabad, the 11th March, 2016: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Monday, the 14th  March, 2016, at 3:00 p.m.

Sd/-
Secretary
National Assembly Secretariat
 

In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (3) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Speaker has been pleased to prorogue the National Assembly session on 26th February, 2016 on the conclusion of its business.

Sd/- Secretary
National Assembly

• Aviation
• Cabinet
• Capital Administration and Development
• Climate Change
• Establishment
• Federal Education and Professional Training
• Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage
• Information Technology and Telecommunication
• National Security
• Railways

Islamabad, the 10th February, 2015: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (3) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Speaker has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Friday, the12th Febuary, 2016, at 10:00 a.m.

Sd/-
Acting Secretary
National Assembly Secretariat

Islamabad: February 3, 2016:   Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Speaker and  Murtaza Javed Abbasi Deputy Speaker, National Assembly have condoled the death of father of Sher Bahadur Awan Deputy Secretary National Assembly Secretariat.

In their condolence messages to Sher Bahadur Awan, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker expressed heartfelt grief and sorrow over the death of his father. They prayed to Almighty Allah to rest the departed soul in eternal peace and grant strength and courage to him and other members of bereaved family to bear the irreparable loss with equanimity.

The Acting Secretary National Assembly has also condoled the death of father of  Sher Bahadur Awan and prayed for the solace of departed soul.

Islamabad, January 22, 2016: The Pakistan Delegation, participating in the 11th General Assembly meetings of the Parliamentary Union of the Islamic Countries, being held in the Iraqi Capital Baghdad, has called on the Muslim countries to put actions into their words when it comes to stopping terrorism and empowering women, according to the message received from Baghdad.

These observations were made by Pakistani parliamentarians during different meetings on the second day of the PUIC Conference. Amjad Ali Khan MNA, while representing Pakistan’s National Assembly in the Specialized Committee on Economic Affairs and Environment, noted with regrets that although there was a strong will to eradicate terrorism in all its manifestations from the Islamic World, the sources of funding for such extremist groups remained largely unchallenged. He noted with dismay that in the absence of a strong checks, the terrorist groups were thriving on donations, charities, drug trade, ransom money and in some cases with the sale of commodities like oil and other natural resources.

These remarks were strongly supported by delegates from Iraq, Somalia and Indonesia. It was unanimously decided to include this critical issue in the Conference agenda and Pakistan was asked to submit on behalf of the entire PUIC a draft on terror financing.

In another meeting of Women Parliamentarians, Pakistani delegates Ms. Ghulam Bibi Bharwana and Ms. Kishwar Zahra voiced concern over the thin representation of women delegates in the Conference and asked the current Chairman of the Conference, the Speaker of Iraq to take notice of this practice.

Ms. Ghulam Bibi Bharwana, while speaking on behalf of the Pakistani women parliamentarians reminded the Member states that women’s freedoms and empowerment were granted by the Holy Prophet PBUH and legends like Hazrat Khudeja and Hazrat Fatima remained role models of women empowerment for the Muslim World. It, therefore, must take guidance from the practice of the Prophet (PBUH) and must not remain hostage to age-old biases of customs and traditions. She also highlighted the achievements of women’s parliamentary caucus and the pro-women legislation undertaken by the Pakistani Parliament.

 

Islamabad, January 21, 2016: The Jammu and Kashmir issue gets an endorsement in a strong-worded joint resolution of the Specialized Committee on Political and Foreign Affairs of the Parliamentary Union of the Islamic Conference (PUIC) being held in Baghdad. According to message received from Baghdad, the resolution will now be presented to the General Assembly of PUIC for final approval.

The committee in its Draft Resolution has jointly called for finding a peaceful settlement to the Jammu & Kashmir issue in accordance with the numerous United Nations Security Councils’ resolutions and expressed its support to the Pakistan efforts in resolving the pending dispute. Significantly, the resolution also called upon India to allow international human rights group and humanitarian organizations to visit Jammu and Kashmir and has expressed concern over continued violations of the working boundary by the Indian security forces.

A two-member parliamentary delegation comprising of Pir Imran Shah and Amjad Ali Khan is representing Pakistan in the conference. The delegation put up a convincing case before the committee ensuring a strong reference to longstanding dispute of Kashmir in the adopted resolution.

About 54 parliaments of the Islamic countries are currently participating in the 11th General Assembly meeting of the PUIC.

In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to prorogue the National Assembly session on 21st January, 2016 on the conclusion of its business.

Sd/-
Acting Secretary,
National Assembly

• Communications
• Defence
• Defence Production
• Law and Justice
• Human Rights
• Parliamentary Affairs
• Petroleum and Natural Resources
• Science and Technology

• Commerce
• Foreign Affairs
• Inter-Provincial Coordination
• Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan
• Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development
• States and Frontier Regions
• Textile Industries

• Economic Affairs
• Finance
• Interior
• Narcotics Control
• Planning, Development and Reform
• President’s Secretariat
• Prime Minister's Office
• Privatization
• Revenue
• Statistics

Islamabad, January 14: A Mehfil-e-Milad marked by complete religious fervor was held at Parliament House, Islamabad to pay homage to Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). The solemn event was hosted by wife of Speaker National Assembly Mrs. Reema Ayaz Sadiq. First Lady Begum Kalsum Nawaz was the chief guest whereas women ministers and parliamentarians, wives of dignitaries and other prominent ladies from different walks of life were also present on the occasion.

With an aura of spirituality surrounding the air, the women orators recited  Holy Quran and ‘Hamds’ to seek the blessings of Allah Almighty and showered enormous praises on the life and character of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) through recitation of Naats and paid homage to the Holy Prophet through Durood-o-Salam. Sermons on the life of Hazrat Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) were delivered, focusing on his Seerat and teachings based on the welfare and prosperity of entire humanity.

The event adorned by the National Assembly Secretariat with a complete religious tinge, evoked solemn declarations on part of the dignitary speakers and participants to emulate the life of the Holy Prophet.

The audience was told that sayings and deeds of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) present a complete human rights charter and the world can truly attain peace by reverting to the principles espoused by humanity’s greatest benefactor. It was highlighted that it is the duty of every Muslim to follow the teachings of Hazrat Muhammad (Peace Be upon Him) and observe the true, glowing and great lessons of Islam. They called for adopting the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) for an eternal success and blessings in the life here and hereafter.

Later, prayers were offered for peace and prosperity of Pakistan and deliverance from different issues confronting the country as well as for Ummah’s unity.

• Aviation
• Cabinet
• Capital Administration and Development
• Climate Change
• Establishment
• Federal Education and Professional Training,
• Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage
• Information Technology and Telecommunication
• National Security
• Railways

Islamabad, January 10, 2016: National Assembly of Pakistan decides to launch its official Social Media accounts for wider Parliamentary outreach to the public. The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq at Parliament House, Islamabad.

Sardar Ayaz Sadiq underlined the need to develop new strategies and policies to support effective engagement between the National Assembly and citizens. Emphasizing the need for effective Parliamentary outreach, the Speaker highlightedthat regular engagement with citizens is a pre-requisite for a stronger, vibrant and participative democracy. In the modern world, traditional democracies are turning towards e-parliament and one of the main tools utilised to connect with the people is “Social Media.” The Speaker termed Social media “an excellent platform for quick and direct engagement with the citizens”.

The Speaker directed the Officers of the National Assembly Secretariat to develop a team of experts in managing social media pages of the National Assembly. He also added that Social Media Pages of the National Assembly will disseminate timely information to the national and international audience, and the Parliament will receive feedback from the general public.

On this occasion, Ms Marriyum Aurangzeb, MNA remarked that institutional openness and transparency constitutes a vibrant democracy. She highlighted that the primary objective of Social Media platform is to ensure National Assembly as an open, transparent, accountable and accessible democratic institution.

Malik Muhammad Uzair Khan, MNA added that the presence of official account of National Assembly on Social Media will not only facilitate journalists in reporting on Parliament but also reach out more directly to the public and be able to react more quickly to news and events. 

As directed by Hon. Speaker, Media Wing of National Assembly has been running its Social Media Pages at Facebook and Twitter, link of the both pages are as under.

https://www.facebook.com/NationalAssemblyOfPakistan/

https://twitter.com/NAofPakistan
 

• Communications
• Defence
• Defence Production
• Law and Justice
• Human Rights
• Parliamentary Affairs
• Petroleum and Natural Resources
• Science and Technology

• Commerce
• Foreign Affairs
• Inter-Provincial Coordination
• Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan
• Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development
• States and Frontier Regions
• Textile Industries

In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Friday, the 1st January, 2016, at 3:00 p.m.

Sd/-
Secretary
National Assembly Secretariat

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Islamabad, the 19th November, 2015: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Monday, the 7th December, 2015, at 4:00 p.m.

Sd/-
Acting Secretary
National Assembly Secretariat

In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to prorogue the National Assembly session on 27th November, 2015 on the conclusion of its business.

Sd/-
Acting Secretary,
National Assembly

Islamabad, the 19th November, 2015: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Friday, the 20th November, 2015, at 10:00 a.m.

Sd/-
Secretary
National Assembly Secretariat

Islamabad; November 19, 2015: Parliament of Pakistan would get the distinction of being the first Parliament in the region to be powered by Solar energy after the completion of the solar power project. The project is being funded by the Chinese government as a gesture of friendship and an acknowledgement of the long standing Pak-China Friendship. The project was jointly inaugurated by Chinese President Mr. Xi Jinping and Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Nawaz Sharif along with Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani during his recent visit to Pakistan. 

The work on the project is being carried out at fast pace and is likely to be completed in first week of December 2015. The Project Management Team of the National Assembly Secretariat is in close liaison with its Chinese counterpart executing the work and the deficiencies are regularly pointed out which are redressed by the Chinese Team. 

After commissioning, the project would generate 1 Mega Watt of electricity that would not only substantially reduce the expenditure on utility bills of the parliament building, but also contribute excess-power generated to the requirement of the parliament building to the national grid.

In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to prorogue the National Assembly session on 11th November, 2015 on the conclusion of its business.

Sd/-
Secretary, National Assembly

Islamabad: November 5, 2015:  A delegation of Member National Assembly of MQM has submitted an Application for withdrawal of their resignations in the office of Acting Speaker, National Assembly, Murtaza Javed Abbasi.   The MQM MNAs had tendered their resignations from National Assembly on 12th August, 2015.

The Senior officers of the National Assembly Secretariat have received the application from the MQM MNAs.

Islamabad, the 20th October, 2015: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Friday, the 6th November, 2015, at 10:00 a.m.
Sd/-
( ABDUL JABBAR ALI)
Acting Secretary
 

Islamabad September 7, 2015: The 34th meeting of the Executive Committee of the Parliamentary Union of OIC Member States (PUIC) started today with Head of Pakistan delegation/Chairman Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari in the Chair. The Members of the Parliament from Pakistan, Algeria, Lebanon, Kingdom of Morocco, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Chad, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Uganda, Turkey, Iraq, UAE and Iran attended the meeting. Secretary General PUIC Prof. Dr. Mahmud Erol Kilic and officials from PUIC Secretariat were also present in the meeting.

In his opening remarks, Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari welcomed the participants on behalf of Parliament of Pakistan and wished them a pleasant stay in Islamabad. He said that Pakistan whole heartedly appreciates the efforts undertaken by the PUIC for creating linkages among member legislatures. He said that the scourge of terrorism continues to haunt the world and stressed upon the international community to join hands to develop a coherent strategy to counter extremism. Apprising the participants about Pakistan’s sacrifices in fight against terrorism, he said that Pakistan has been braving the onslaught of global terrorism for almost two decades and has rendered numerous sacrifices.

Mr. Leghari said that unresolved issues of an independent state of Palestine and right of self determination of people of Kashmir in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions are test-cases for the world conscience. He said that Kashmir has been consistently on the agenda of Parliamentary Union of OIC member states for which Pakistan seeks support from the Muslim World for an amicable solution to the longstanding dispute.

He also lamented numerous incidences of unprovoked firing along the Line of Control and Working Boundary by Indian forces resulting in civilian causalities and proposed that the PUIC should take up this serious matter in its next summit. He also reiterated Pakistan’s strong desire of peace and stability in Afghanistan and to have harmonious relations with incumbent Afghan Government.

Concluding his address, Sardar Awais Ahmad Leghari said that Muslin Ummah should shift its focus to the issues of poverty, illiteracy, hunger, disease and climate change. Therefore, the PUIC should help member parliaments in building a workable network for sustainable development.  “Let us conclude by reiterating that we shall expand mutual Cooperation and build synergies as our strength lies in solidarity and a strong sense of brotherhood,” he added.

The Executive Committee discussed and adopted various items on its agenda and will continue its deliberations tomorrow. The meeting will conclude by adoption of Islamabad Declaration and the agenda finalized for 11th PUIC Conference to be held in Iraq in 2016.

Islamabad, the 13th August, 2015: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to prorogue the National Assembly session on 13th August, 2015 on the conclusion of its business.
Sd/-
( MOHAMMAD RIAZ)
Secretary

Islamabad, the 24th July, 2015: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Monday, the 27th July, 2015, at 4:00 p.m.

Sd/-
(ABDUL JABBAR ALI)
Acting Secretary

Islamabad, the 26th May 2015: A high level parliamentary delegation of women parliamentarians from German Bundestag visited the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (WPC) in the Parliament House Islamabad. Headed by Ms. Dagmar G. Wohrl and accompanied by the Vice President of the German Bundestag Ms. Claudia Roth, the delegation comprised across party representation from Germany’s parliamentary political parties. H.E. German Ambassador to Pakistan, Dr. Cyrill Nunn also accompanied the delegation.

MNA Shaista Pervaiz Malik, Secretary General of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus welcomed the German delegation along with many members of the Caucus from across parties and representing both Houses of the Parliament. A briefing was given by the Secretary General Caucus on the inception, work and achievements of the WPC.

The German delegation admired the existence of an informal across party lines forum of women parliamentarians in Pakistan. They said that such forums should be replicated in other parliaments of the world as well including their own parliament that needs to learn from Pakistan experience and model in this regard.

Members of the WPC proposed to build alliances with women parliamentarians of German Bundestag for greater learning and experience sharing. They also offered the German delegation any assistance and support that they may require in setting up such a forum in the parliament of Germany. Gifts were exchanged by both sides with the promise to build upon this interaction and strengthen it for future partnership.

Islamabad, the 20th May, 2015: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 read with clause (3) of Article 56 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon both the Houses to assemble together in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Thursday, the 4th June, 2015, at 11:00 a.m.

Sd/-

(Mohammad Riaz)

Secretary

Islamabad, the 19th May, 2015: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to prorogue the National Assembly session on 19th May, 2015 on the conclusion of its business.

Sd/-
Acting Secretary

Download

Islamabad, the 29th April, 2015: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to prorogue the National Assembly session on 29th April, 2015 on the conclusion of its business.
Sd/-
Acting Secretary
 

Islamabad, the 19th April, 2015: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) in joint sitting to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Monday, the 21st April, 2015, at 09:25 a.m.
 

Sd/-
(MOHAMMAD RIAZ)
Secretary

Islamabad, the 17th April, 2015: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Monday, the 20th April, 2015, at 4:00 p.m.

Sd/-
( MOHAMMAD RIAZ)
Secretary

Islamabad, the 3rd April, 2015: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) in joint sitting to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Monday, the 6th April, 2015, at 11:00 a.m.

Sd/-
( ABDUL JABBAR ALI)
Acting Secretary

Islamabad, the 13th March, 2015: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Acting President has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Monday, the 16th March, 2015, at 4:00 p.m.
Sd/-
( MOHAMMAD RIAZ)
Secretary
 

Islamabad, the 24th February, 2015: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Wednesday, the 4th March, 2015, at 4:00 p.m.

Sd/-
( MOHAMMAD RIAZ)
Secretary

Islamabad, the 13th February, 2015: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (3) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Speaker has been pleased to prorogue the National Assembly session on 13th February, 2015 on the conclusion of its business.
Sd/-
( MOHAMMAD RIAZ)
Secretary
 

Islamabad, the 30th January, 2015: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (3) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Acting Speaker has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Monday, the 2nd February, 2015, at 4:00 p.m.
Sd/-

( Abdul Jabbar Ali)
Acting Secretary

Islamabad: January 23, 2015; Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Speaker National Assembly will leave for China from January 25-30, 2015 tomorrow on a five day official visit on the invitation of his Chinese Counterpart.

Sardar Ayaz Sadiq will be leading a ten-member parliamentary delegation comprising of MNAs Mr. Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, Mr. Azhar Qayyum Nahra, Dr. Farooq Sattar, Mr. Siraj Mohammad Khan, Mr. Nasir Iqbal Bosal, Mr. Ehsan ur Rehman, Rana Muhammad Afzal Khan, Ms. Asiya Naz Tanoli and Mr. Khalil George.

During his stay in China, the Speaker National Assembly apart from meeting his counterpart will also meet with Chinense political leadership and business community and discuss matters of bilateral interest. Both sides will also discuss the steps to further enhance bilateral relations through interaction of Parliamentarians of either side as well as strengthening trade, educational, cultural and investment links between Pakistan and China.

The current visit is part of larger pro active Parliamentary diplomacy to win friends around the world especially within the region.

Islamabad, the 16th January, 2015: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to prorogue the National Assembly session on 16th January, 2015 on the conclusion of its business.
Sd/-
( MOHAMMAD RIAZ)
Secretary
 

Islamabad, the 31st December, 2014: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Thursday, the 1st January, 2015, at 4:00 p.m.
Sd/-
( MOHAMMAD RIAZ)
Secretary

Islamabad, the 8th December, 2014: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to prorogue the National Assembly Session on 8th December, 2014 on the conclusion of its business.

Sd/-

(MOHAMMAD RIAZ)

Secretary

Download

Islamabad, the 25th November, 2014: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Wednesday, the 26th November, 2014, at 4:00 p.m.

Sd/-
( MOHAMMAD RIAZ)
Secretary

Islamabad, the 31st October, 2014: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to prorogue the National Assembly session on 31st October, 2014 on the conclusion of its business.
 

Sd/-
( MOHAMMAD RIAZ)
Secretary
 

In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Monday, the 20th October, 2014 at 4.00 p.m.

 
              Sd/-
(ABDUL JABBAR ALI)
Acting Secretary 

Islamabad, the 19th September, 2014: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to prorogue the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) in Joint Sitting summoned on 2nd September, 2014 on the conclusion of its sitting.

      Sd/-
( MOHAMMAD RIAZ)
   Secretary

Islamabad, the 1st September, 2014: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) in joint sitting to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Tuesday, the 2nd September, 2014, at 11:00 a.m.

      Sd/-
( MOHAMMAD RIAZ)
   Secretary

Islamabad, the 1st September, 2014: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to prorogue the National Assembly session on 1st September, 2014 on the conclusion of its business.

      Sd/-
( MOHAMMAD RIAZ)
   Secretary

In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Monday, the 4th August, 2014 at 4.00 p.m.

Sd/- 

(MOHAMMAD RIAZ) 

Secretary 

Islamabad: July 2, 2014: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to prorogue the National Assembly session on 2nd July, 2014 on the conclusion of its business.

Sd/-
Mohmmad Riaz
Secretary

Islamabad 1st, July 2014:  Mr. Muhammad Riaz an officer of Custom Group has assumed the charge of Secretary   National Assembly w.e.f 1st July, 2014.  He has become the Secretary National Assembly after the retirement of Mr. Karamat Hussain Niazi, former Secretary National Assembly on 30th June, 2014.  He is 19th Secretary of the National Assembly.   He was serving as Additional Secretary (Administration) in this Secretariat before assuming the charge of the Secretary and brings experience of serving the Government in various departments including his postings in Pakistani Missions abroad.
 

In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Wednesday, the 2nd July, 2014 at 11:00 a.m.

Sd/-
(KARAMAT HUSSAIN NIAZI)
Secretary

Islamabad: June 21, 2014: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to prorogue the National Assembly session on 21st June, 2014 on the conclusion of its business.

Sd/-
Karamat Hussain Niazi
Secretary

Islamabad June 9, 2014: Time of the Session of the National Assembly to be held today i.e. 9th June, 2014 has been revised.

The Session will now be held at 5.30 pm instead of 4.00 pm.

Islamabad: June 2, 2014: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to prorogue both the Houses assembled together on Monday, the 2nd June, 2014 on the conclusion of the business.

Sd/-
(KARAMAT HUSSAIN NIAZI)
Secretary

ISLAMABAD, 2 JUNE 2014: The National Parliamentary Conference on MDGs held an introductory session at the Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Affairs today. The conference will be formally inaugurated tomorrow by the Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. National and provincial Task Forces on the MDGs operating at the federal and provincial levels are participating in the conference. Experts from different areas of the MDGs will also speak dedicated sessions spanning three days.

The conference was called in response to UNDP research indicating that Pakistan adopted 16 targets with 41 indicators. Of the 34 indicators for which data is available, 24 are off track and unlikely to be met by 2015. The legislators will review current MDG status and work to determine a way forward.

The Chairperson of the Special MDG Task Force, Member of the National Assembly Marriyum Aurangzeb, opened today’s session. She briefed the participants on the purpose and expected outcomes of the conference. “This is the first time we have all met together, the national MDG Task Force and the provincial MDG Task Forces. This conference will help Parliamentarians to gain tools and techniques to achieve the MDGs.”

Mr. Shakeel Ahmed, UNDP Policy Analyst, provided an overview of the current MDG status and the post-2015 agenda.

The first session of the conference, “Peace and Stability, Good Governance, Monitoring and Accountability: Driving Socio-economic Development Reforms”highlighted the role of elected representatives in ensuring rule of law as well as improving governance in Pakistan. The speakers included representatives of the World Bank, UNDP and international law experts.

UNDP Assistant Country Director Amir Goraya thanked the parliamentarians for gathering to discuss the development issues of the country. “Parliamentarians can play a pivotal role in achieving the MDGs,” he said.

Mr. Zubair Bhatti, World Bank Pakistan Governance Chief, shared his experiences working with elected representatives as a civil servant and the importance of their role in development. “Elected officials need to develop capable institutions that can reach down to the lowest tier of the society. You need to strike a balance between long-term development and managing your constituency.”

International Law Expert Barrister Ahmar Bilal Soofi emphasised the need to legislate on MDG related subjects. “Challenges of governances have increased in the post-18th amendment scenario,” he stated.

The conference will continue tomorrow with sessions on individual MDGs.
 

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly of Pakistan, under the guidance and patronage of its Honourable Speaker, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, is holding the inaugural National Conference on Millennium Development Goals for parliamentary taskforce. It is an initiative of a young and dynamic woman Parliamentarian MNA Marriyum Aurangzeb, who is the chairperson for Task Force on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This conference will engage around 90 parliamentarians and legislators from the National Assembly, Senate, four provincial assemblies of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh as well as legislative assemblies of Azak Jammu and Kashmir and GilgitBaltistan.

The conference will provide interaction among MPs and national and international experts, facilitators and speakers participating and sharing their valuable knowledge on various themes of Pakistan’s social development reforms agenda. It will be a watershedin Pakistan’s endeavour for equitable and just development of all its citizens asfor the first time everpublic representatives from all provincial and legislative assemblies, will come together with their counterparts at the National Parliament to show their commitment and ownership towards development with a cohesive approachto deal with basic human issues such as health, education, poverty reduction, women and children, environmental conservation and other related areas.

Just to recall the inaugural Millennium Summit 2000, held in New York by bringing together representation of 189 UN member states, announced rights based global commitment, in the shape of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Pakistan committed to 16 targets and 41 indicators against which progress towards achieving the Eight Goals of the MDG’s is measured. Time series data available for 33 of these indicators reveal that Pakistan is on track to achieve the targets on 9 indicators, whereas its progress on 24 indicators is off track. Therefore, the present government which is fully committed to make progress on MDGs as well as to provide a comprehensive input on new and inclusive Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has made aninclusive strategy by forming national and provincial MDGs task forces.

These Federal and Provincial Task Forces on MDGs will aim at addressing the challenges and strengthen the legislative, oversight, and representation and play a pro-active role in accelerating the pace in achieving the agreed and committed targets for post 2015 development agenda.These Task Force Groups will be mandated to examine the existing status of the national development agendaand identify the issues and challenges in its full attainment. They will be result oriented and will propose recommendations and develop mechanisms for the effective implementation of the national development in line with Pakistan’s national and international commitments.They have also established MDGs desks in Ministry of Planning & Development for dynamic stakeholder consultation at federal and provincial level.

The conference will be held from 2nd to 4th of June 2014 at Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services, Islamabad. It will have experts and facilitators from the relevant fields along with members of the national and provincial assemblies, to discuss and the issues and design a work plan on how to raise awareness, to hold our governments to account and to draw attention to the post 2015 debate,investigate provincial priorities in greater depth, establish dialogues with members of the public to inform them of the issues and ensure that their voices are heard. Also to engage with local and relevant authorities, civil society organizations, media and the private sector by sharing information and supporting their participation in decision making will be thought of.

The conference will have notable and highly qualified experts and parliamentarians from all the political parties speaking on the relevant issues. Speakers of the conference include Mr. Baligh ur Rehman,Minister of State of Education, Ms. Saira Afzal Tarrar, Minister of State for Health , Dr. FehmidaMirza, Former Speaker of National Assembly of Pakistan, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, ,MNA Dr. Nafisa Shah, MNA Shiasta Pervez Malik , MNA MsAzraFazalPechuho, MNA Ms. Ayeasha Raza Farooq, MNA Mr. Asad Umar, MNA Ms. MarviMemon and Ms. ShahnazWazir Ali, former MNA. It will also have various knowledgeable speakers from various international agencies speaking on the relevant topics.

The conference will start with a plenary session on Good Governance, Monitoring & Accountability - Driving the Economic - Social Development Reforms. As peaceful and inclusive societies, rule of law, and capable institutions today remain critical and cross-cutting in ensuring a cohesive and sustainable development in most countries around the globe, without that an inclusive sustainable development agenda cannot be adequately planned or achieved. Conference will include sessions in the next two days i.e 3rd and 4th June 2014, on all the eight goals Pakistan is focusing on, which will include the following topics:

·         Tackling Exclusion and Inequality

·         Making Quality Education Accessible

·         Gender Mainstreaming and Equality

·         Roadmap to Healthy Generation

·         Combating a Disease Ridden Society

·         The Effect of Climate Change - Integrating Economic, Environmental, & Social Sustainability

·         Public Private Partnership in Development Discourse of Pakistan

·         Youth Involvement in Development

·         Media, Private Sector, and Civil Society - Collaboration for Citizen Development and Democracy.

This inaugural National Conference on Millennium Development Goals 2014 is an effort for developing insights among MPs and provide a platform on which the parliamentarians, through discussions and consultations with experts from within as well as from civil society and private sector be able to share relevant knowledge, respective contexts and best practices, emerging parliamentary mechanisms, and modern techniques in good governance as vital tools for providing enabling environment within which the post 2015 development agenda can be formulated and achieved. This would also provide a great bonding and networking opportunity to the participants and will help them capitalize the momentum and political goodwill to deliver the much needed relief for the citizenary of Pakistan.

Islamabad, May 20, 2014: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Tuesday, the 3rd June, 2014 at 4:30 p.m.

Sd/-
(MOHAMMAD RIAZ)
Acting Secretary

Islamabad: May 20, 2014; The Speaker of the Riksdag (Swedish Parliament) Mr. Per Westerberg has said that his country cherishes and wants to solidity its friendship with Pakistan. He was addressing the members of the Pak- Swedish Friendship Group in National Assembly along with the delegation of Swedish Parliamentarians in the Parliament House, today.

He said that Swedish Legislature is keen to work closely with Parliament of Pakistan through strengthening parliamentary contacts. His country also attaches immense values to its relations with Pakistan and wants to further enhance existing ties through enhancing people-to-people contact and economic cooperation between both the countries, he added. He assured that his country has also vast expertise in telecommunication, automobile and other sectors and Pakistan could also benefit from that.

Mr. Jonas Hafstrom, Ambassador and Special Advisor to the Ministry of Trade said that Sweden appends enormous importance to its relations with Pakistan and needs to further cement those through enhanced cooperation between the legislatures and business community of both the countries. He also assured that his country will continue its unflinching support to Pakistan in diverse fields.

Convener of Pak-Swedish Parliamentary Friendship Group in the National Assembly Muhammad Khan Daha emphasized the need for strengthening relationship between the parliamentarians, businessman and people of both the countries for further reinforcing the relations between the two countries. He said that parliamentarians of the two sides could play a meaningful role as “parliamentary diplomacy could enable the real policy makers to understand each-others’ points of view, better. He appreciated the Swedish delegation's keen interest in expanding and deepening bilateral relations with Pakistan.

The parliamentarians of both the countries held detailed discussion on bilateral issue and explored the ways and means to further strengthen the parliamentary relations between the two countries.

MNAs Ms. Maryam Aurangzeb, Ms. Farhana Qaiser, Ms. Asiya Naz Tanoli, Mr. Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, Ms. Zahra Wadood Fatemi, Malik Muhammad Uzair and Ms. Romina Khurshid Alam were attended the meeting. Mr. Tomas Rosander, Ambassador of Sweden to Pakistan was also present on the occasion.
 

Islamabad: May 20, 2014; A Parliamentary delegation of Swedish Parliamentarians headed by the Speaker of the Riksdag (Sweden Parliament) Mr. Per Westerberg met members of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus(WCP) today. The meeting was chaired by the Secretary WPC, MNAShaistaPervaiz Malik.

Secretary WPC and the Speaker of Sweden agreed to bilateral cooperation and exchange on gender-issues between both countries. Talking about contribution of Women’s Parliamentary Caucus in Pakistan Ms. Malik briefed the delegation that the Caucus has been playing a crucial role in uplifting women of the country and accentuating gender-sensitive issues.

Women parliamentarians from all major political parties of Pakistan participated in the meeting. Issues related to health, education and women’s political empowerment in both the countries were also discussed.
 

Islamabad; May 19, 2014:  In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 read with clause (3) of Article 56 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon both the Houses to assemble together in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Monday, the 2nd June, 2014, at 11:00 a.m.

Sd/-
(KARAMAT HUSSAIN NIAZI)
Secretary

Islamabad: May 7, 2014; Chairman Council of Representatives, Kingdom of Bahrain H.E. Khalifa Bin Ahmad Al-Dhahrani along with his four members Bahraini Parliamentary delegation has departed from Benazir Bhutto International Airport, Islamabad to Bahrain, today. Convener of Pak-Bahrain Parliamentary Friendship Group Pir Shafqat Hussain Shah Jillani saw off Bahraini Parliamentary delegation at Airport. Senior officials of the National Assembly Secretariat were also present.

On this occasion, Chairman Council of Representatives, Kingdom of Bahrain H.E. Khalifa Bin Ahmad Al-Dhahrani said that he is going back along pleasant memories. He said that Bahrain will continue to provide every assistance and support to Pakistan.

Convener of Pak-Bahrain Parliamentary Friendship Group Pir Shafqat Hussain Shah Jillani especially thanked the guests for coming to Pakistan. He also presented a photo album to the Chairman of their entire visit.

Islamabad: April 30, 2014; President of German Bundestag Prof. Dr. Norbert Lammert has said that Pakistan is an important country in region and it is a strong desire of his country to see Pakistan as a prosperous and stable country which is also in the interest of the region and the world. He was addressing the Members of the Pak-German Friendship Group in the Parliament House, today.

He said that Germany attaches immense importance to its relations with Pakistan and wants to further cement those through enhanced cooperation between the legislatures of both the countries. He also urged that his country will continue its unflinching support to Pakistan in diverse fields.

Convener of the Pak-German  Friendship Group in the National Assembly of Pakistan Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah said that Pakistan and Germany enjoy cordial relations based on common interest and shared perceptions on major international issues. He said that Pakistan strongly desires to further diversify its existing relations through people-to-people contacts and parliamentary cooperation between National Assembly and German Bundestag (Parliament).

Former Speaker/Member of Pak-German PFG Dr. Fehmida Mirza underlined the need for enhanced interaction between the parliamentarians and people of both the countries for further cementing the relations between the two countries. She said that parliamentarians of the two sides could play a meaningful role in the region as “parliamentary diplomacy could enable the real policy makers to understand each-others’ points of view, better. She appreciated the German leadership's keen interest in expanding and deepening bilateral relations with Pakistan.

The parliamentarians of both the countries held detailed discussion on bilateral issue and explored the ways and means to further strengthen the parliamentary relations between the two countries.

In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Monday, the 5th May, 2014 at 4:00 p.m.

Sd/-
(KARAMAT HUSSAIN NIAZI)
Secretary

Islamabad; April 12, 2014: The Seventeenth Conference of the Speakers will be held in Islamabad from 13 to 15 April 2014 in Islamabad. The Conference will be inaugurated by the Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in the Constitution Room of Parliament House.

The Conference will be attended by Chairman and Deputy Chairman Senate of Pakistan, Speakers and Deputy Speakers of Provincial Assemblies of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Speakers of Legislative Assemblies of Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. The Secretaries of the Provincial legislatures and Legislative Assemblies will assist their respective Speakers.

The Speakers, during the course of deliberations, will review the decision taken in 16th Speakers Conference held in Lahore besides deliberating upon issues concerning legislation, working of committees and other administrative issues of their respective Houses and promotion of healthy Parliamentary traditions in Pakistan. On the conclusion of the Conference, “Islamabad Declaration” would be adopted.

The Secretaries of the National and Provincial legislatures and Legislative Assemblies met in Islamabad on 3rd April, 2014 in Islamabad and finalized the agenda for the 17th Speakers Conference.

The current Conference would help promote healthy tradition of tolerance, dialogue and commitment to democracy.

 
 

Islamabad: April 8 , 2014: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to prorogue the National Assembly session on  8th April, 2014 on the conclusion of its business.

Sd/-
KARAMAT HUSSAIN NIAZI
Secretary 

Islamabad March 26, 2014: Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq chaired maiden meeting of the Committee to Oversee the Parliament Building Maintenance and Uplift, in Parliament House, this afternoon. The meeting was attended by Members of the Committee, Special Secretary (A) National Assembly Secretariat and Officers of the Capital Development Authority (CDA). 

The Speaker said that the pitiable cleanliness and maintenance of the Parliament House by the CDA has necessitated constitution of this Committee. He said that despite allocation of substantial budgetary allocation for the purpose, CDA has not been able to properly maintain the premises. He asked the Members to conduct visits to different parts of the Parliament House and suggest measures for proper cleanliness and maintenance of the Parliament Building, infrastructure and facilities within its precincts.

The Members thanked the Speaker for assigning them the task and assured him that they would try to amicably fulfill their responsibilities.

As per ToRs, the Committee has been assigned the task to inspect the Parliament House on weekly basis and submit report on status of cleanliness and maintenance of the building, infrastructure, lawns, lounges, library, cafeteria, staff canteen, car parking and security of the Parliament House.

The Committee comprises of MNAs Ms. Nafeesa Khattak, Ms. Seema Mohiuddin, Ms. Rida Khan, Ms. Saman Sultana Jafri, Ms. Asiya Nasir, Ms. Zahra Wadood Fatimi, Ms. Farzana Qamar, Ms. Asiya Naz Tanoli, MRs. Shahida Rehmani, Ms. Tahira Aurangzeb, MS. Romina Khurshid Alam and Sajida Begum.

In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Monday, the 24th March, 2014 at 4:00 p.m.

Sd/-
(SYED MUNAWAR ABBAS)
Acting Secretary

Islamabad; March 19, 2014: Members of Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (WPC) expressed severe concern on the rulings of Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) declared in the last week. The recommendations of CII are quite alarming.

The Chairman of CII demanded amendment in the National Marriage Law so that men seeking to remarry did not require a written permission of their first wives. Secondly, the legislation which prohibited underage marriages was dubbed as un-Islamic by the CII.It should be noted that the law is completely in line with the Muslim Family Law and the Constitution of Pakistan.

In the present scenario, it can be witnessed that instances of domestic violence are on the rise, women are forced to self-immolate, rape cases and acid crimes have increased significantly and the child abuse has reachedalarming heights, decrees of such controversial nature by CII do no good but aggravate the situation.

Marriage is a mutual contract; adolescents at an early age cannot discreetly decide about their marriage, therefore puberty should not be a condition for marriage. Abolishing laws which ensure minimum age for marriage would mean exploitation and abuse particularly for young girls.

Members of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus believe that both these verdicts are a blatant violation of women rights, international commitments and the Constitution of Pakistan.

Inclusion of progressive Islamic scholars in the CII is important so that it interprets laws in line with the 21st century for protection of women right and of whole nation at large.

Parliament of Pakistan is the supreme institution. Women legislators from the platform of Caucus reaffirm their commitment to stand firm against all anti-women practicesand determine to leave no stone unturned to ensure that no any anti-women legislation is passed in the parliament which deprives them of their basic rights.

Islamabad: The National Assembly of Pakistan, in collaboration with Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), observed for the first time in Pakistan,” the Commonwealth Day” at the Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services on Monday, 10th March 2014.

The theme of the event was ‘Team Commonwealth’. People; from all walks of life especially the youth; were prominently represented at the August occasion.  The program also included a ‘Youth Declamation Contest’ where specifically the young participants debated on the spirit of ‘Team Commonwealth’.

The guest of honor was Akram Zaki, a former senator, who held many important portfolios including the former Foreign Secretary of Pakistan. While recalling his participation in the struggle for Pakistan, he shed some light on the key role played by Youth, who worked day in and day out under the leadership of the founding father Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah to convert the dreams of Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal into reality. He read some invigorating lines of his own poetry, urging the youth to adopt the path of hard work, rationality and self-accountability.

Honorable Ms. Marriyam Aurangzeb, MNA, was the Chief Guest of the event. She delivered an eloquent speech encouraging the young blood to come into the main stream and fully utilize their strengths to play a prominent role for the prosperity of this country. She commended the vision of the Speaker National Assembly, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq for particularly focusing on youth, stressing on the need to harness the great potential present in our young generation and to divert their energies for the betterment of our beloved homeland. She concluded her speech by informing the audience about the new initiatives being taken by the Parliament viz energy conservation and Young Parliamentary Associate program, highlighting the magnitude of available opportunities to the youth to become a part of the policy making.

The program also included a briefing presentation on the description of commonwealth along with a quiz competition which become a source of great interest for the audience. The program was concluded by a musical performance by the young musicians.

Islamabad: February 20, 2014: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Acting President has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Monday, the 24th February, 2014 at 4:00 p.m.

Sd/-
Karamat Hussain Niazi
Secretary

ISLAMABAD, Feb. 20: The Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (WPC) in partnership with CPA UK initiated a series of dialogues for Women Parliamentarians on topical issues. Initiated in 2012 with a trilogue between Afghanistan, Pakistan and UK Parliamentarians in London, this is a third of the series. The topic of current three day dialogue is regarding maternal health and education.

A five member women Parliamentary delegation from the UK headed by Lord Speaker H.E Baroness D’Souza, and a three member delegation from Afghanistan arrived in Islamabad to attend the dialogues starting 20th to 22nd February 2014.

Organized at the premises of Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Services, Islamabad the inaugural session was chaired by former Speaker National Assembly and Patron of the WPC Dr.Fehmida Mirza. In her welcome address, Dr. Mirza praised the joint efforts of the women parliamentarians in focusing on critical issues of common concern. She recalled the historic references of women’s active participation in freedom movements and economic uplift of Europe after the second world war and noted that no nation could progress without the active participation of its women.

Dr. Mirza emphasized on creating synergies to highlight girl education, maternal and child health and said that these held great importance for the Region which was marred by terrorism and sabotage.

In her remarks, Tte Lord Speaker Baroness D’Souza thanked the Pakistani hosts for arranging the third round of meetings. She said that the inception of WPC was a hallmark and a role model for other Parliaments to follow suit.

These were followed by presentations from MNA Shaista Malik, the Secretary of the Caucus and Maryam Aurangzeb, the Parliamentary Secretary of Interiors, who focused on the working of the Caucus and the pace of MDG in Pakistan respectively.

Others who participated in the discussions included Senator RubinaRauf Khalid, NuzhatSadiq, Baroness Royall, Sharon Hodgson MP, Afghan MP FarkhundaNadri and KhawarMumtaz, besides others.

The consultations meetings will continue till 22nd February and will comprise of Parliamentarians, social activists and policy makers to present and share their thoughts.

Islamabad February 19, 2014: A three day dialogue between women parliamentarians of Pakistan, United Kingdom and Afghanistan will start on 20th February, 2014 in Islamabad. The dialogue is being organized by Women Parliamentary Caucus (WPC) in collaboration of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA-UK Branch) with an aim to foster bilateral relations between the Women MPs besides strengthening their role in legislatures and broadening the understanding of issues impacting women across their respective countries.

The British and Afghan delegates would arrive in Islamabad on 20th February, 2014. During the course of their stay in Islamabad, the Women MPs would ponder upon the issues and impediments with emphasis on gender component with focus on Education, Maternal Healthcare and Socio-Economic Development.

The UK delegation is being led by Lord Speaker of the House of Lords Baroness D’Souza whereas Dr. Golalai Nur Safi, MP would be leading the Afghan delegation. The Pakistani delegation would comprise Women Members of the National Assembly and Senate.

Dr. Fehmida Mirza, the Parton (WPC) will inaugurate the dialogue in Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Services (PIPS), Islamabad by delivering a keynote address. The Federal Ministers for National Health Services & Regulations and Education have been invited to give the participants, an insight of the government policies and initiatives in respect of healthcare and education in Pakistan.

It may be recalled that WPC was established when Dr. Fehmida Mirza was the Speaker of the National Assembly. Under her able leadership, the Caucus had been actively engaged in building networks with colleagues from friendly countries besides initiating landmark pro-women and children legislation in the Pakistani legislature. The WPC and CPA-UK Branch considering the importance of promotion of women in all spheres of society to be fundamental for socio-economic development and political empowerment embarked upon the Parliamentary Partnership Program in year 2012.  The current dialogue is the continuation of that program.

Islamabad: February 7 , 2014: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to prorogue the National Assembly session on  7th February, 2014 on the conclusion of its business.

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KARAMAT HUSSAIN NIAZI
Secretary

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Islamabad: December 20, 2013: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to prorogue the National Assembly session on  20th December, 2013 on the conclusion of its business.

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QAMAR SOHAIL LODHI
Additional Secretary

Islamabad December 12, 2013: The Members of the Pakistan-South Africa Parliamentary Friendship Group in the National Assembly visited the South African High Commission to offer condolence on the passing away of Mr. Nelson Mandela, anti-apartheid hero. The delegation was led by Dr. Nafisa Shah, convener of the Pak-South Africa Friendship Group along with other Members of the Group i.e. Dr. Nisar Ahmad Jatt, Mr. Muhammad Khan Daha, Mr. Sheryar Afridi, Mr. Muhammad Imran Khattak, Ms. Tahira Asif and Ms. Aisha, MNAs.

During the meeting with the High Commissioner of South Africa Mr. Mpendulo Kumalo, the Convener conveyed the resolution adopted by Pak-South Africa Friendship Group paying tribute to Mr. Nelson Mandela. The resolution was unanimously adopted during the meeting of the group held on December 11, 2013. Conveying the sentiments of condolence, she said that Mandela not only achieved equality for all through his great personal struggle but also healed a fractured nation. Nelson Mandela will be an inspiration to us and our future generations and our best hope in achieving the universal goal of rights and freedoms for a better world, she added.

Members of Pak-South Africa Parliamentary Friendship Group and High Commissioner agreed to work together for promoting people-to-people contacts.
 

Islamabad, December 6, 2013: The 43-member delegation was led by H.E Osama Abdul Aziz Muhammad Nujaifi, Speaker Iraqi Parliament. The Iraqi dignitaries included honorable members of their parliament who were also the members of many important parliamentary committees including Education, foreign Affairs, Human Rights and many other notables. Honorable Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq warmly welcomed his Iraqi counterpart at the National Assembly Secretariat. Both Officials exchanged pleasantries and pledged to cooperate for strengthening bilateral relations between both countries. Currently the bilateral trade between both countries is US$ 62.6 million which is very low compared to the presence vast trade potential. Both the countries vowed to open up new avenues of collaboration through increasing parliamentary diplomacy. Pak-Iraq Parliamentary Friendship Group meeting was held at the National Assembly and was co-chaired by the PFG convener Syed Imran Shah and his Iranian counterpart Mr. Hamam Baqir Hamoudi. Parliamentary representatives from both sides participated in the meeting and an active exchange of views took place from both sides. Mr. Imran expressed the sentiments of the people of Pakistan for the Iraqi people. He further mentioned that the presence of two holy cities of Karbala and Najaf has exponentially increased the prominence of Iraq in the eyes of Muslims all over the world. Mr. Imran stressed the need to further cement the ties between both countries especially in the field of health, education, energy, tourism and science and technology. Mr. Hamam Baqir expressed his deepest regards for the Pakistani people and thanked the government for inviting the Iraqi delegation. “Both the countries are facing the common threat of terrorism and sectarian violence.” said Mr. Hamam while highlighting the need to defeat the menace of extremism. He declared the current visit really promising and he hoped that it would pave the way for further cementing of bilateral ties. Other parliamentary representatives also expressed their deepest felicitations for hosting such auspicious visit. They hoped that the visit would prove to be a great source of opening new vistas in all the major fields and especially in increasing the parliamentary cooperation between both countries.

Islamabad; November 27, 2013: A Chinese Parliamentary Delegation led by Madam Shen Yueyue, Vice Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress will arrive in Islamabad on 28th November, 2013 on a three day official visit to Pakistan. Deputy Speaker National Assembly Murtaza Javed Abbasi and senior officials of the National Assembly Secretariat will receive the delegation at Benazir Bhutto International Airport, Islamabad.

The delegation comprises of senior Members and officials of the Chinese National People’s Congress. The Chinese Parliamentarians during their stay in Islamabad would be calling on President & Prime Minister of Pakistan, Speaker National Assembly and Chairman Senate besides meeting with their Pakistani counterparts.

The interaction between parliamentarians is continuation of the pledge of Pakistani and Chinese leadership to further consolidate the time immemorial brotherly ties between both the nations. During the discourse between the Sino-Pak parliamentarians, both the sides would exchange views, share experiences and explore further possibilities of parliamentary cooperation.
 

Islamabad: November 23, 2013: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Thursday, the 5th December, 2013 at 4:00 p.m.

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Syed Munawar Abbas
Acting Secretary

Islamabad: November 12 , 2013: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to prorogue the National Assembly session on  12th November, 2013 on the conclusion of its business.

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KARAMAT HUSSAIN NIAZI
Secretary

Islamabad: October 28, 2013: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Monday, the 4th November, 2013 at 4:00 p.m.

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KARAMAT HUSSAIN NIAZI
Secretary

Islamabad October 28, 2013: Ms Marriyum Aurangzeb, Member National Assembly and convener of the MDGs Task Group of National Assembly led the group of 50 representatives from Climate Change Division, provincial governments, national and international development partners, UN agencies, civil society, academia and private sector and represented Pakistan at 5th South Asian Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN), hosted by Government of Nepal in Khatmandu according to a message received from Nepal. Secretary Raja Hasan Abbas and Director General Climate Change Division, Mr. Irfan Tariq played a key role in highlighting the Water and Sanitation Progress across Pakistan during the conference. Senior Officials from all the Provinces were present at the conference too.
 
Ms. Aurangzeb at the final declaration ceremony hosted by Honorable Mr. Khila Raj Regmi, the Chairman of Council of Ministers Government of Nepal conveyed the appreciation of Honorable Prime Minister of Pakistan Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, who also holds portfolio of Climate Change which is focal for SACOSAN in Pakistan for successfully hosting SACOSAN V and providing an invaluable opportunity to share experiences and learn from the leaders in the field.

SACOSAN is a government led biennial convention held on a rotational basis in each SAARC country provides a platform for interaction on sanitation.  SACOSANs are intended to develop a Regional agenda on sanitation, enabling learning from the past experiences and setting actions for the future. The objectives of such conferences are to accelerate the progress in sanitation and hygiene promotion in South Asia and to enhance quality of people's life. The SACOSAN process is instrumental to generate political wills towards better sanitation in the region.

South Asian countries namely; Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are the participating countries. The first conference was held in Bangladesh in 2003, the second in Pakistan in 2006, the third in India in 2008 and the fourth in Sri Lanka in 2011.

Ms. Aurangzeb explained the audience that how after the 18th amendment policy formulation and social sector programmes implementation has been completely devolved to each of our provinces. The devolution process empowers the provinces to prioritize their needs and accords them the necessary flexibility in allocating resources for drinking water, sanitation, education, health etc. National Sanitation Policy developed in 2006 served as key driver for building the scaling up of the sanitation through Pakistan Approach to Total Sanitation. Presently, nearly all provinces developed their sanitation frameworks and policies and have started to mobilize resources for augmenting the up scaling of sanitation.

Ms Aurangzeb further highlighted the development of new strategic vision 2025 that will provide a broader framework for development in Pakistan. The delegates from Pakistan reassured to advocate the inclusion of Sanitation and Hygiene as key priority in new strategic vision 2025 with emphasis on inter sectoral collaboration in addition to dedicated reporting of sanitation under national and provincial Medium Term Development Frameworks.

Ms Aurangzeb elaborated that with only two years left in MDGs, Government of Pakistan strengthens its commitment to improve its performance for MDGs targets by constituting a task force on MDGs at the parliament under the leadership of Honorable speaker National Assembly, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq to have regular oversight on the performance of MDGs till 2015 and setting up priorities for Post MDG sustainable agenda. Ms. Aurangzeb also told the audience that Pakistan has recently launched MDG acceleration framework (MAF) for education which gives due emphasis on school WASH facilities.

Ms. Aurangzeb also in her speech assured that there is realization within the delegates to develop a national campaign for behavioral change in social norms for improved sanitation with due emphasis on community mobilization. Presently, there is potential for developing greater political commitments through engagement and sensitization of elected representatives and policy makers at national and provincial levels.

Capitalizing on her extensive experience in the development world for almost a decade Ms. Aurangzeb highlighted that there is paucity of data and information for reliable decision-making, so the delegates demand for development of a result oriented management information system to feed into policy formulation and monitoring of the sector.

Ms. Aurangzeb stressed upon the civil society, bilateral and multilateral partners, media and private sector for supporting a unified national agenda for integrated sanitation and hygiene approach through improved coordination at the national and provincial levels in close collaboration with social sector. There is now need for developing sector development plan for WASH at the provincial levels in line with national agenda. There should be a specific focus on polio and stunting in health, WASH facilities in education, and informal settlements in urban development. We renew our commitment to mitigate the measures for environmental degradation and developing climate change resilient policies and programs especially for WASH.

In the end Ms. Aurangzeb said that our delegation returns home with renewed vigor to intensify our efforts, both as government and partners in development, to meet our commitments and achieve our goals. Pakistan will remain fully committed to “Sanitation For All- All for Sanitation”.

 
 

Islamabad: September 27 , 2013: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to prorogue the National Assembly session on  27th September, 2013 on the conclusion of its business.

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KARAMAT HUSSAIN NIAZI
Secretary

Islamabad: September 12 , 2013: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Monday, the 16th September, 2013 at 4:00 p.m.

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KARAMAT HUSSAIN NIAZI
Secretary

Islamabad: August 8, 2013: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Tuesday, the 13th Agust, 2013 at 5:00 p.m.

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KARAMAT HUSSAIN NIAZI
Secretary

Islamabad: July 26, 2013: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Monday, the 29th July, 2013 at 4:00 p.m. 

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KARAMAT HUSSAIN NIAZI
Secretary

Islamabad: July 25, 2013: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (b) of Rule 9 of the Presidential Election Rules, 1988, the Speaker has been pleased to summon the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) in the Parliament House, Islamabad, on Tuesday, the 30th July, 2013 at 10:00 a.m., for the purpose of election to the Office of the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. 

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KARAMAT HUSSAIN NIAZI
Secretary

Islamabad: June 11, 2013: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Wednesday, the 12th  June, 2013 at 4:30 p.m. 

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KARAMAT HUSSAIN NIAZI
Secretary

Islamabad, the 7th June, 2013: In excercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 read with clause (1) and (3) of Article 56 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon both the Houses to assemble together in the Parliament House, Islamaad on Monday, the 10th June, 2013 at 4.30 p.m.

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(KARAMAT HUSSAIN NIAZI)

Secretary

Following is the tentative schedule of the first session of the 14th National Assembly

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE FOR THE FIRST SESSION OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AFTER GENERAL ELECTION, 2013

MEMBERS OATH

1)        Oath of Members and                                                            01.06.2013
            Signing of Roll of Members                                                  at 10:00 am

(The House adjourned for 03.06.2013 for election of Speaker/Deputy Speaker)

ELECTION OF SPEAKER /DEPUTY SPEAKER
[Article 53 (1)]

1)        The Nomination Papers by the candidates                                     02.06.2013
            to be delivered to the Secretary                                                         by 12:00 noon

2)        Election of Speaker/Deputy Speaker through Secret Ballot         03.06.2013

ELECTION OF PRIME MINISTER
[Article 91(3)]

1)        The Nomination Papers by the candidates                          04.06.2013
            to be delivered to the Secretary                                                by 2:00 pm

2)        Election shall be held through division. (Article 226, rule 35)    05.06.2013

Islamabad: May 28, 2013: In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the National Assembly to meet in the Parliament House, Islamabad on Saturday, the 1st June, 2013 at 10:00 a.m.

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KARAMAT HUSSAIN NIAZI
Secretary

Islamabad May 28, 2013: The President Islamic Republic of Pakistan in exercise of powers conferred under clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan has summoned the session of the 14th National Assembly on 1st June, 2013 at 10.00 a.m in Parliament House. Speaker National Assembly Dr. Fehmida Mirza will administer the oath to the Members-elect.

National Assembly Secretariat on this occasion has made special arrangements for facilitation of Members-elect by establishing special facilitation desks in Parliament House, Parliament Lodges, Government Hostel and Benazir International Airport, Islamabad. The facilitation desks will be functional from 29th May, 2013 till the conclusion of the session.

The Desk established in Parliament House will collect bio-data and other information of the MNAs-elect besides preparing their special Identity cards. The facilitation Desks at Parliament Lodges and Government Hostel will assist MNAs-elect regarding their accommodations whereas the desk established in Rawal Lounge, Benazir International Airport will be responsible for receiving the MNAs-elect arriving by Air and their transfer to the Parliament Lodges and Government Hostel. The Members have been requested to inform the Protocol Wing of National Assembly Secretariat about their travel schedule.