High Attendance for 27th Constitutional Amendment as Routine Sittings Remain Under-Attended

ISLAMABAD: During the 21st session of the National Assembly, which spanned seven sittings from November 5 to November 14, 2025, 123 members (38 percent) attended all sittings, while 11 members (three percent) were absent for the entire session.

Continuing from previous sessions, female members generally recorded higher attendance than their male counterparts, except during the sixth sitting, when male attendance was higher.

The fifth sitting had the highest attendance, with 297 members (91 percent of the current membership) present. During this sitting, the 27th Constitutional Amendment was enacted. Except for JUI-F, the opposition boycotted the proceedings, while independent members staged a noisy protest and tore documents during the session.

A strong positive relationship was observed between meaningful attendance and the constitutional amendments. Maximum attendance is usually witnessed during the passage of such amendments, as party leaders also ensure their presence in the House. Understandably, constitutional amendments are considered more important than regular agenda items. Observations from both major amendments reveal that the House is full only during constitutional business, whereas the benches are often empty during routine agenda items.
The lowest attendance was recorded during the second sitting, with only 188 members (57 percent) present.

During this sitting, quorum was pointed out during Question Hour by an independent member; however, on count, the House was found to be in order. While comparing the attendance reported in the Daily Bulletin with the actual attendance record, a discrepancy was identified. For the fifth sitting, the Daily Bulletin shows 296 members present, whereas the official attendance document records 297 members. This reflects an inconsistency between these two official sources. Figure 2 presents a gender-wise comparative analysis of the number of sittings attended.

Attendance Patterns by Gender

As many as 64 female MNAs (out of a total of 72 female members) attended four to seven sittings. Thirty-four female MNAs (47 percent) attended all sittings: 30 on reserved seats for women, three on general seats, and one on a reserved seat for minorities.

Four female MNAs—three on general seats and one on a reserved seat for women—did not attend any of the sittings. Meanwhile, four female MNAs, all on reserved seats for women, attended only two or three sittings, which is less than half of the total number of sittings. A total of 218 male MNAs (85 percent) attended four to seven sittings. Among them, 89 male MNAs—86 on general seats and three on reserved seats for minorities—attended all the sittings. Seven male MNAs elected on general seats did not attend any of the sittings.

However, 30 male lawmakers attended one to three sittings, including six MNAs who attended only one sitting.
Among the six who attended only one sitting, four MNAs, Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Ali Gohar Khan Mahar, Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, and Abdul Qadir Patel, were present during the sitting in which the 27th Constitutional Amendment was passed. Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Syed Sami Ullah attended only the first and second sittings, respectively. while Syed Sami Ullah attended only the second sitting.

As many as 10 members representing minority seats (nine male and one female) attended between four and seven sittings. Among them were four male MNAs and one female MNA who attended all the sittings.

Attendance Patterns by Region

Regionally, across all provinces, most MNAs attended between four and seven sittings. All three MNAs from the ICT attended all the sittings. Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s 48 forty-eight MNAs (ninety-one 91 percent) attended four to seven sittings, including 19 nineteen who attended all sittings. Similarly, more than half of Sindh’s MNAs (seventy-three 73 to ninety-three 93 percent) participated in four to seven sittings, including twenty-six 26 who attended all the sittings. Punjab saw one hundred forty-five 145 MNAs (eighty-five 85 percent) attending between four to and seven sittings, with sixty-four64 attending every sitting. From Balochistan, thirteen 13 MNAs (sixty-five65 percent) attended five to seven sittings, including eleven 11 who were present at all the sittings. Figure 4 presents a region-wise analysis of the number of sittings attended.

Attendance Patterns by Party

On October 9, 2025, the ECP declared all Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) members (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-backed) as independent candidates, leaving only one person formally belonging to the SIC. Most legislators from the Muttahida Qomi Movement Pakistan, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) participated in more than half of the sittings, attending more than three sittings each. The sole members of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP), and Pakistan Muslim League-Zia (PML-Z) attended all sittings.

The sole lawmakers from the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) and Majlis-e-Wahdat-ul-Muslimeen Pakistan (MWMP) attended five sittings, although the MWMP member was absent during the passage of the 27th Amendment. The sole representative of the National Party (NP) attended three sittings and was notably absent during the passage of the 27th Amendment.

Furthermore, 27 lawmakers belonging to opposition parties did not participate in the passage of the 27th Amendment, while three lawmakers from coalition parties, each representing the PML-N, PPPP, and NP, also did not participate. Figure 5 presents a party-wise analysis of the number of sittings attended.

Ministerial Attendance

During the session, 29 ministers were scheduled to respond to members’ questions. However, only 17 ministers were present. Of these, 16 attended all required sittings, while questions related to the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development were listed in two sittings, but the minister concerned was available to respond in only one. The remaining twelve 12 ministers did not attend any of the sittings. During the fourth sitting, a lawmaker belonging to the PPPP moved Motion 288 to suspend the Question Hour scheduled for November 12, as the 27th Constitutional Amendment was being passed during the sitting.

Among those present, five federal ministers and four state ministers attended all the sittings. Additionally, 20 federal ministers and all state ministers attended between four and seven sittings, representing a notable improvement compared to previous sessions. Figures 6 and 7 show the number of sittings attended by each cabinet member from the Lower House, based on the official records available on the National Assembly website.

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