PATTAN, a member organisation of Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN), on Thursday launched a project to directly observe the proceedings of the Punjab Assembly with the aim of bridging gap between the elected representatives and their constituents.
FAFEN is a network of 42 civil society organisations working to foster democratic accountabilities in Pakistan. It is governed by Trust for Democratic Education and Accountability (TDEA).
Under the Parliament Watch Program (PWP), FAFEN with the support of PATTAN will produce objective information in the form of daily fact-sheets and session-wise, thematic and annual reports on the performance of the provincial assembly.
However, the primary audience of this work will remain the constituents as their informed engagement with elected representatives is critical to strengthen democracy.
After successfully observing the proceedings of the National Assembly since 2008, FAFEN has extended the project’s scope to cover provincial assemblies and the Senate.
Accredited parliamentary observers will observe the proceedings by applying a robust methodology to assess the assembly proceedings against a framework based on the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Punjab Assembly. They will attend each sitting to collect information on all major types of parliamentary business–legislation, calling attention notices, and resolutions–on a standardized observation checklist.
