ISLAMABAD: PPP senators attended the most sessions during the 2024-25 parliamentary year, according to the annual report released by the upper house of parliament.
Masroor Ahsan of PPP attended 62 of the total 66 sittings, making him the senator with maximum attendance throughout the year. Five other PPP senators — Nadeem Ahmad Bhutto, Husna Bano, Dost Ali Jassar, Shahadat Awan and Poonjo Bheel — also made it to the list of top 10 attendees.
According to the report, two PML-N lawmakers on the list were former information minister Pervaiz Rasheed and Khalil Tahir Sindhu. Kamil Ali Agha of PML-Q and Hidayatullah Khan of ANP completed the list of 10 senators.
During the recently concluded parliamentary year, the Senate held 12 sessions and met for 139 hours and 24 minutes.
Six party lawmakers among 10 who attended most Senate sessions
On average, 56 members (58pc) attended each sitting, with 78 being the highest number of senators present in the session on April 9, 2024.
The longest sitting stretched over five hours and 27 minutes on May 22, 2024, and the shortest on Jan 24, 2025, which lasted just 12 minutes.
In all, 17 ordinances were laid before the house during the parliamentary year — 13 of them during two months from April to June 2024.
The house passed 12 government and 11 private member bills. Out of 809 admitted questions, 313 were answered and 60 deferred.
The Senate also passed the controversial 26th Constitutional Amendment. The upper house also handled 116 resolutions, of which 43 were admitted, 52 disallowed and 17 successfully passed.
These resolutions were on a range of critical issues, including national security, international relations, infrastructure development, and human rights.
Legislative reforms
The report said the Senate played a vital role in “legislative advancements and efforts to strengthen democratic governance”. The legislation pertained to combating human trafficking, protecting victims of violence and introducing systems for e-governance and digital security.
The Senate also raised voice for the rights of Kashmiris and Palestinians, climate action and electoral integrity, the report stated. It added that the upper house incorporated more gender-responsive legislation, particularly focusing on protection against harassment.
The upper house engaged with global parliaments to promote bilateral and multilateral ties and institutional collaboration to foster parliamentary diplomacy.
The report also highlighted the performance of Senate Standing Committees in legislative oversight, policy development, and governance improvements across various sectors in Pakistan.
A total of 39 standing and functional committees held 242 meetings during last year. The committees addressed key national issues, proposing legislative amendments and ensuring accountability in public administration.
Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani led delegations to the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Austria, Ireland and Azerbaijan.
The Senate also hosted Valentina Matviyenko, the speaker of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, and the Spanish parliamentary delegation.
The senators represented Pakistan on major international parliamentary forums, including the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and Asian Parliamentary Assembly.
The report said the Senate continued to “revolutionise parliamentary procedures” while relying on digital transformation and introducing new systems for tracking bills, motions, and debates.
Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2025
