Report highlights 33 lawmakers skipped all sittings, while 267 members (80% of the House) missed at least one sitting
Only 66 members of the 333-member National Assembly attended all nine sittings of the 27th parliamentary session held between May 11 and May 22, 2026, while the prime minister did not attend a single sitting, according to a report by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN).
The report highlighted that 33 lawmakers did not attend any sitting during the session, whereas 267 members — around 80 per cent of the House — missed at least one sitting.
Attendance fluctuated across the session, with the first sitting recording the highest participation at 75 per cent (249 members present), while the fifth sitting saw the lowest turnout at 49 per cent (164 members).
Among key parliamentary officeholders, the opposition leader attended all nine sittings. In contrast, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif remained absent throughout the entire session.
Women outperform
The report noted that female legislators consistently recorded higher attendance rates than their male counterparts throughout the session. Among lawmakers who attended all sittings, 30 were women elected on reserved seats, 20 were men elected on general seats, and six were women elected on general seats.
By contrast, among members who did not attend any sitting, 43 were men elected on general seats, six were women on reserved seats, and two were minority-seat members.
Women also maintained a higher attendance ratio in both the highest- and lowest-attended sittings. During the first sitting, 79 per cent of women lawmakers were present compared to 73 per cent of men. During the fifth sitting, attendance stood at 55 per cent for women and 48 per cent for men.
Party-wise
The National Assembly comprises 13 parliamentary parties and 79 independents, with government and opposition benches divided between eight parties plus four independents on the government side, and five parties with 75 independents in opposition.
Among the major parties, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) 132-member parliamentary strength included 29 lawmakers who attended all sittings and 13 who remained absent throughout. Another 51 attended five to eight sittings, and 39 attended between one and four sittings.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), with 74 members, recorded eight lawmakers with perfect attendance and eight who did not attend any sitting. A further 39 attended five to eight sittings and 19 attended one to four sittings.
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Among the 79 independents, 19 attended all sittings, 43 attended five to eight sittings, 10 attended one to four sittings, and seven did not attend any sittings.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) 22 members included three with perfect attendance, seven who attended five to eight sittings, 11 who attended one to four sittings and one member who remained absent throughout.
Similarly, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan’s (JUI-P) 10-member strength included three members with full attendance, four who attended five to eight sittings, two who attended one to four sittings and one who attended no sittings.
Among 16 lawmakers belonging to smaller parties grouped under the “Others” category, four attended all sittings, two attended five to eight sittings, seven attended one to four sittings, and three remained absent.
Federal ministers
A total of 26 federal ministers were scheduled to respond during Question Hour. However, only 12 attended the sittings in which questions relating to their ministries were listed. For the remaining 14 ministries, parliamentary secretaries represented their respective ministries when questions were taken up.
Eight ministers were also required to make statements on Calling Attention Notices, but only three were present when notices concerning their ministries came before the House.
Among parliamentary party leaders, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party’s Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen’s Hameed Hussain attended all nine sittings.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif attended seven sittings, Balochistan Awami Party chief Khalid Hussain Magsi attended six, while PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari did not attend any sitting.
Leaves
FAFEN found that of the 267 members who missed at least one sitting, only 82 submitted formal leave applications, while 185 remained absent without any official request.
Of those who sought leave, only 33 per cent submitted applications in advance, 35 per cent had their requests read during the leave period, and 32 per cent filed applications after the absence had already occurred.
The report further noted that 24 per cent of those seeking leave remained absent for a longer period than originally requested.
