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.

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.

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 PML-N’s 132-member parliamentary strength included 29 lawmakers who attended all sittings and 13 who remained absent throughout.