Islamabad: The Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) has released a comprehensive report on the first annual budget session of the current National Assembly, which saw significant participation and discourse from 179 lawmakers. The session, dedicated to the financial year 2024-25 budgetary proposals, spanned 48 hours and two minutes, highlighting the active engagement of the opposition which dominated the discussions.
According to Free and Fair Election Network, the budget session featured a robust turnout from various political parties, with the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP), and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) among the most represented. Critiques of the budget proposals were prominent, with 70 percent of the participants expressing reservations about various aspects of the budget. The session was marked by detailed discussions on the Finance Bill, demands for grants, and cut motions, although all cut motions proposed by the opposition were defeated.
The report also noted the procedural aspects of the session, including the passage of five government bills with minimal debate and the adoption of three resolutions. Issues such as government performance, supplementary budgets, and specific concerns raised by private members were also addressed. The average attendance per sitting was recorded at 68 percent, with the Prime Minister attending over half of the sittings.
FAFEN highlighted concerns regarding transparency, noting that video records of the proceedings were sometimes muted and that verbatim records were inconsistently available. Despite these challenges, the report acknowledges the assembly’s efforts to maintain transparency through online records and media access.
The session also addressed targeted financial commitments to marginalized groups, including women and persons with disabilities, with specific measures announced to support education, employment, and social welfare initiatives. However, some comments during the session sparked controversy and led to the suspension of a lawmaker’s membership due to inappropriate language.