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Express Tribune
5 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Only 14% MNAs attend all sittings of 16th NA session
Two supplementary resolutions were adopted by the house which were about paying tributes to the sacrifices of the armed forces on Defence Day and condemning terrorism in Quetta and Mardan. PHOTO: FAFEN The 16th session of the National Assembly that spanned over 13 sittings between May 5 and 22, 2025, saw only 14% members making 100% attendance, while 9% of the members were absent during the entire session, the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) said in its report on Thursday. Fafen is a civil society network focused on strengthening democracy. It said in its latest report that consistent with the previous sessions, female attendance was generally higher than that of their male counterparts during the session last month. "The highest attendance was recorded during the first sitting, with 237 members (76%) present. During this sitting, the House suspended its regular agenda to discuss the recent Pakistan-India conflict," the report said. The lowest attendance was recorded during the last sitting, with 174 members (55%) present. This sitting was initially adjourned after just 13 minutes because of the lack of quorum. The House reconvened after 15 minutes and passed The Off the Grid (Captive Power Plants) Levy Bill, 2025. Fafen said that 150 members of the National Assembly (MNAs) skipped sittings without advance leave request; 118 (44%) submitted a leave application, including 25 (21%) in advance and 37 (31%) applied ex-post facto after returning from their leave. It added that 268 members (86%) missed at least one sitting during the current session. The report said that 16 female MNAs, including 14 on reserved seats, attended all the sittings, while five female MNAs, including two on the reserved seats, recorded zero attendance. Region-wise, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad Capital Territory lawmakers recorded the highest percentage of MNAs attending more than half of the sittings, it said, adding that majority of lawmakers from the SIC, the PML-N, the JUI, and independents attended more than half of the sittings. A lack of ministerial presence weakened legislative oversight, Fafen said in the report. Among the 29 federal ministers, who were expected to be present during the Question Hour to respond to queries from lawmakers, only 15 (52%) were marked present during the sittings.
Business Recorder
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
PTI's rigging claims baseless, shameful: Azma
LAHORE: Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari has said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)'s claim of election rigging after suffering a clear defeat by 39,000 votes is extremely shameful and tantamount to denying reality. She stated that according to the FAFEN report, 116 polling agents expressed satisfaction with the electoral process. She added that the people of Sambrial have out rightly rejected and cast away the anti-state narrative of the PTI founder. She said that the people of Punjab now vote for and strongly support Maryam Nawaz's politics of public service, as the Pakistan Muslim League (N) is the only party with a genuine vision for development, stability, and public welfare. Responding to PTI leader Waqas Akram's press conference, Azma Bokhari stated that PTI faced a humiliating defeat in the Sambrial by-election. As per FAFEN's report, presiding officers duly provided Form 45 to polling agents, and out of 121 interviews conducted, 116 polling agents confirmed their satisfaction with the voting process. She noted that the vote share of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) in Sambrial increased from 41% to 59%, while PTI's vote share dropped from 35% to 29%. These statistics are enough to open the eyes of so-called intellectuals and analysts who continue to push PTI's narrative, she said, adding: 'Blaming the police and district administration instead of accepting defeat is a long-standing habit of PTI.' She reiterated that the people of Sambrial have firmly rejected the founder of PTI's anti-state rhetoric. The people of Punjab now vote for Maryam Nawaz's politics of service and continue to support it. This seat has always belonged to the PML(N), and it will remain unbeatable in the future as well, she added. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Two-thirds of political parties lack functional websites: FAFEN
ISLAMABAD: Despite increasing digital engagement in Pakistan, nearly two-thirds of the country's political parties lack a fully functional website, revealed a report by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) on Sunday. Titled 'Assessing Web Presence of Political Parties in Pakistan,' the report finds that only 35 percent or 58 out of 166 registered political parties maintain fully or partially operational websites. Even among the 20 political parties currently represented in the Federal Parliament and/or Provincial Assemblies, just 14 (70 percent) have functional websites. This web presence is a prerequisite for compliance within the overall purview of Section 208(4) of the Elections Act, 2017, which mandates political parties to publish updated lists of their central office bearers and executive committee members on their websites. Among those political parties with functioning websites, only 40 parties (69 percent) comply with the legal requirement of publishing a list of central office bearers on the website, and just six (ten percent) with publishing the names of their executive committee members. While many parties maintain active social media profiles, they cannot serve as a substitute for an official website. The short-lived and algorithm-driven nature of social media feeds make them less suited for hosting structured and accessible information. FAFEN's assessment of political parties' websites found that those with parliamentary representation generally offer more content-rich digital platforms compared to other parties. Among them, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leads by providing on its website 18 out of 30 distinct types of information that FAFEN examined. It is followed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) with a score of 15; however, its website is currently blocked in Pakistan and can only be accessed through a virtual private network (VPN). The website of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) scored 12; Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) 11; Awami National Party (ANP) nine; Haq Do Tehreek Balochistan (HDT) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) eight each; Sunni Ittehad Council and Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) seven each; Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam Pakistan (JUIP) six each; Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) five; Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) four; and Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q) one. Among the parties without parliamentary representation, the highest score was 13 that was achieved by Pakistan Tehreek Shadbad (PTS). Thematically, most websites were more forthcoming in sharing contact information and general organizational details, while financial transparency remained the most under-reported area. The most consistently shared content was the aims and objectives of political parties, featured on 88 percent of websites. Section 201(1)(a) of the Elections Act, 2017 mandates the political parties to include this information in the party constitution. Contact details for at least one party office were present on 83 percent of sites, while 79 percent linked to official social media handles. The list of central office bearers (Section 208(4)) was available on 69 percent of the websites, although it was not always clear whether these reflected the most recent intra-party election results. Similarly, membership procedures (Section 203) were outlined on 69 percent of sites. The availability of foundational documents, campaign material, and financial disclosures varied considerably. Only 38 percent of parties shared their constitutions on websites, albeit with little to no information about any recent amendments. Moreover, while 62 percent posted at least one general election (GE) manifesto, only 12 percent uploaded their latest manifesto clearly mentioning their electoral promises for GE-2024. Notably, just one party published its consolidated financial statement, which is required to be submitted to the ECP annually under Section 210(1) of the Elections Act, 2017. Moreover, FAFEN found the statements of assets and liabilities of party office bearers on only one website. No website provided information about the party's elected general council(s), which is legally mandated to have at least one meeting per year under Section 207(2) of the Elections Act, 2017. Similarly, none of the websites had information about the procedure for selection of candidates for elective offices for which Section 206 of the Elections Act 2017 instructs the parties to adopt a transparent and democratic procedure. The method of electing office bearers (Section 201(1)(f)(i)), process of suspension or expulsion of members (Section 205), the tenure of office bearers (Section 201(1)(d)), or an explicit declaration of prohibition on foreign donations (Section204(3)) were each available on one website. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Most parties off the digital radar
Despite increasing digital engagement in Pakistan, nearly two-thirds of the country's political parties lack a fully functional website, revealed a report by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) on Sunday. Titled "Assessing Web Presence of Political Parties in Pakistan", the report found that only 35 per cent or 58 out of 166 registered political parties maintain fully or partially operational websites. Even among the 20 parties currently represented in the parliament and provincial assemblies, just 14 (70 per cent) have functional websites. The web presence is a prerequisite for compliance within the overall purview of Section 208(4) of the Elections Act, 2017, which mandates political parties to publish updated lists of their central office bearers and executive committee members on their websites. Among those parties with functioning websites, only 40 parties (69 per cent) comply with the legal requirement of publishing a list of central office bearers on the website, and just six (ten per cent) with publishing the names of their executive committee members. While many parties maintain active social media profiles, they cannot serve as a substitute for an official website. The short-lived and algorithm-driven nature of social media feeds makes them less suited for hosting structured and accessible information. FAFEN's assessment of political parties' websites found that those with parliamentary representation generally offer more content-rich digital platforms compared to other parties. Among them, JI leads by providing on its website 18 out of 30 distinct types of information that FAFEN examined. It is followed by PTI with a score of 15. However, its website is currently blocked in Pakistan and can only be accessed through a VPN. The website of PPPP scored 12; PML-N 11; ANP nine; Haq Do Tehreek Balochistan (HDT) and MQM-P eight each; SIC and PkMAP seven each; TLP and JUI-P six each; MWM five; BAP four; and PML-Q one. Among the parties without parliamentary representation, the highest score was 13, which was achieved by Pakistan Tehreek Shadbad (PTS). Thematically, most websites were more forthcoming in sharing contact information and general organisational details, while financial transparency remained the most under-reported area. The most consistently shared content was the aims and objectives of political parties, featured on 88 per cent of websites. Section 201(1)(a) of the Elections Act, 2017 mandates the political parties to include this information in the party constitution. Contact details for at least one party office were present on 83 per cent of sites, while 79 per cent linked to official social media handles. The list of central office bearers (Section 208(4)) was available on 69 per cent of the websites, although it was not always clear whether these reflected the most recent intra-party election results. Similarly, membership procedures (Section 203) were outlined on 69 per cent of sites. The availability of foundational documents, campaign material, and financial disclosures varied considerably. Only 38 per cent of parties shared their constitutions on websites, albeit with little to no information about any recent amendments. Moreover, while 62 per cent posted at least one general election (GE) manifesto, only 12 per cent uploaded their latest manifesto clearly mentioning their electoral promises for GE-2024. Notably, just one party published its consolidated financial statement, which is required to be submitted to the ECP annually under Section 210(1) of the Elections Act, 2017. Moreover, FAFEN found the statements of assets and liabilities of party office bearers on only one website.
Express Tribune
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Snail-paced tribunals
The clipped February 8, 2024 verdict is now literally questioning the independence of the judiciary. Even 14 months after the vote, it is heart-wrenching to note that more than two-thirds of the petitions challenging the results of national and provincial assembly constituencies remain undecided. This not only violates the constitutional dictum to settle such rows within a stipulated time period, but also comes to delegitimise the ruling edifice, apart from raising questions on the biases of the Election Commission. Adding to this is the outcome in the form of abject political instability that is reflected in a sense of disconnect with state-centrism. The Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN), an independent think tank, maintains that the overall pace of decisions has been slow. It says between February 1 and April 20, 2025, election tribunals decided 24 petitions related to the general elections, bringing the total number of decided petitions to 136 of a total of 372 being heard across the four provinces. Of these, 26% relate to National Assembly seats and 42% to provincial assembly seats. Apparently, the intention is to deny justice to the PTI candidates, most of whom contested as 'Independent' and were declared successful as per Form 45, only to be declared otherwise under a jaundiced order of Form-47 by the electoral watchdog. One of the prime reasons behind this stalemate is the influence of the executive over the judiciary. The non-formation of tribunals in real time, an inordinate delay in hearing the cases and a biased approach from the state prosecution are the obstacles to dispensation of justice. Likewise, four tribunals remained largely dysfunctional during the reporting period, including two in K-P, one each in Punjab and the Islamabad Capital Territory. This dilemma is casting negativity: coupled with this is the phenomenon of an incomplete Senate, as K-P lacks representation in it, and the non-implementation of the Supreme Court's July 12 verdict on awarding of reserved seats for women and minorities.
