ISLAMABAD, March 15: The National Assembly has accomplished a legislative agenda which has altered country’s governing structure by giving autonomy to provinces, restoring 1973 Constitution and empowering women, says a performance report prepared by a group of NGOs.

Highlighting both achievements and failures of the 13th National Assembly at the completion of its five-year term, the report was released on Friday by Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen).

Among achievements the report included election of a women as speaker for the first time in country’s parliamentary history, president’s address to the joints sessions of the parliament for five consecutive years, formation of full five-member Election Commission and election of the Leader of the Opposition as chairman of Public Accounts Committee.

In 50 regular sessions, the assembly held 521 sittings — 100 in first parliamentary year, 107 in second, 108 in third, 106 in fourth, and 100 in fifth.

The assembly brought a historic change in the rules of procedure by allowing standing committees to scrutinise ministerial budgetary proposals before their inclusion in the federal budget.

LEGISLATION: The assembly passed 134 bills — 116 government and 18 private members’ bills. Of them, 81 became acts of parliament.

The 12th national assembly had passed 51 bills during its five-year term.

Though the outgoing National Assembly passed only five bills in its first year, the legislation picked up pace in second, third, fourth and fifth year, and the lower house passed 32, 31, 29, and 37 bills, respectively.

Out of total passed government bills, 56 sought amendments in the existing laws and the rest were new bills.

PPPP lawmakers introduced 62 or 33 per cent of private members’ bills followed by 53 each by PML-N and PML legislators.