What the Rule Says
The National Assembly cannot remain ‘out of session’ for more than 120 days. The Constitution requires that between the last sitting of one session and the first sitting of the next, not more than 120 days may pass. The Assembly must also sit for not fewer than 130 working days in each parliamentary year. Both conditions are binding and they cannot be traded off against each other.
Why it matters for the National Assembly proceedings?
Long intersession gaps may be used to avoid parliamentary scrutiny of major executive decisions, such as economic policies or ordinance-based legislation. The 120-day cap ensures that no government can effectively suspend Parliament for long periods. It reflects Pakistan’s constitutional experience with executive dominance over the legislature.
What is in it for citizens?
If you track whether your elected representatives are doing their jobs, the 120-day intersession limit is one of the simplest metrics. A gap exceeding four months between sessions is a constitutional violation. Citizens, journalists, and civil society organisations can monitor and document this publicly.
Source: Article 54(2), Constitution of Pakistan, and Rule 47, Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007
The proceedings of National Assembly are governed by the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007. The current rules were passed on 23 February 2007 and have since been amended 20 times.
This post is part of FAFEN’s series on parliamentary literacy. Read more of this series here.
