Joint Parliament session: Here's the detail of absent MNAs, Senators

ISLAMABAD: The details regarding the overall strength of the opposition and treasury in the crucial joint session of the Parliament that saw key legislation on electoral reforms have emerged, ARY NEWS reported.

According to details, the joint session saw the attendance of 430 lawmakers including MNAs and Senators with 226 of them representing the treasury benches and 204 from the opposition side.

As many as 178 National Assembly members from the treasury including Speaker Asad Qaiser attended the session other than their 48 Senators. One Senator and an MNA were missing from the government side.

The opposition side had the attendance of 154 MNAs and 50 Senators. Those missing from their side included Naveed Qamar, Dr. Sikander Mandhro and Nawab Muhammad Yusuf Talpur from PPP along with Jam Abdul Karim, Akhtar Mengal, Afreen Khan, Ali Wazir and Shahnawaz Naseer.

The joint sitting of the Parliament earlier in the day approved the Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trail) Bill 2021, allowing the chemical castration of rape convicts.

The bill was presented in the House by Adviser on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan with Jamaat-i-Islami lawmakers introducing an amendment demanding the replacement of chemical castration with public hanging.

Besides this, the Parliament passed three important bills including the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs), the Second Election Amendment Bill 2021, and the Kulbhushan Jadhav bill allowing him the right to appeal amid the hues and cry of the opposition.

The bills related to the use of EVMs and Second Election Amendment Bill 2021 were presented by Adviser to Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Babar Awan in the joint session of the Parliament.

The bills were passed with the majority.