• September 19, 2012
• Media and Governance
• Web Desk

By: Imaduddin

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly has passed a total of 83 bills and made as many as three amendments to the Constitution of Pakistan up to September 2012 in its 44 sessions, it is learnt.

According to documents available with Business Recorder, as many as five bills were passed in the joint sitting of Parliament during this period. A total of 182 bills of the government and 165 bills of members were introduced in the National Assembly in its 561 total working days. The National Assembly passed nine private members bills. During this time, the Lower House of the Parliament also passed as many as 51 resolutions.

The House passed three constitutional amendments including, The Constitution (Eighteenth Amendment) Bill, 2010, The Constitution (Nineteenth Amendment) Bill, 2011 and The Constitution (Twentieth Amendment) Bill, 2012.

The Lower House of the Parliament received 1610 adjournment motions in which 63 were discussed while 272 out of 2890 calling attention notices were moved in the National Assembly for discussion. There were 39 standing committees of the National Assembly but under the 18th Constitution Amendment as many as 17 committees were devolved.

According to documents, there are nine special committees, two select committees and five parliamentary committees of the National Assembly. A total of 225 bills were referred to the Standing Committees and Select Committees in which 123 were reported on the bills to the House while 102 bills were pending so far.

Dr Fahmida Mirza as a woman Speaker of the National Assembly paid attention to legislation for the rights of women. In this regard legislations include Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act, 2009, Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act, 2010, Establishment of Benazir Income Support Programme Act, 2010, Criminal Law (Second Amendment) Act, 2011 and Prevention of Anti-Women Practices (Criminal Law Amendment) Act.

Business Recorder