A Member of the Provincial Assembly, or MPA is a representative elected by the voters of an

electoral district An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...

to the

legislature A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial power ...

or legislative assembly of a subnational jurisdiction. In

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

, the members are elected by the voters in provinces for a term of five years.

Eligibility criteria

The following requirements must be met in order for someone to be eligible to join the Provincial Assembly of Pakistan; * Must be a Pakistani national. * Cannot be younger than 25 years old. * Not be found guilty by the jury. * Sufficient understanding of Islamic beliefs. * Must be a moral individual. * Must be ameen and sadiq. * Must be registered to vote in a Pakistani provincial constituency.

Disqualification grounds

A person wouldn't be eligible to represent Pakistan in the Provincial Assembly if; * Has a bad mental health. * Is bankrupt. * Has lost his or her citizenship in Pakistan. * Is therefore ineligible under any law passed by the

Pakistani parliament The Parliament of Pakistan is the supreme legislative body of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. It is a bicameral federal legislature, composed of the President of Pakistan and two houses: the Senate and the National Assembly. The president, ...

. * Is therefore disqualified due to desertion. * Has, among other things, been found guilty of inciting animosity amongst various groups. * Has been found guilty of the crime of bribery. * Has received a conviction for a crime and a prison term of more than two years. * Has been fired due to corruption or state disloyalty (in the case of a government servant).

Term

The member of provincial assembly have a five-year term starting on the day of their first meeting. All four provincial assemblies begin their five-year tenure at roughly the same time because general elections for all of them are held on the same day. This enables elections for all of the assemblies to be held on a single day and assists the governments in deciding to dissolve the assemblies on a single day after five years.

Responsibilities

Members of Pakistan's provincial assembly have the following duties: *

Legislative A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers ...

: Making the appropriate laws through legislation. *

Oversight Oversight may refer to: Governance *Regulation – rulemaking *Separation of powers in state governance (checks and balances) - the concept of separate branches of government or agencies exercising authority over one another *Checks and contro ...

: Ensuring that the executive's responsibilities are being met. * Representation: To speak in the provincial assembly on behalf of the views and preferences of their constituency. *

Power of the purse The power of the purse is the ability of one group to control the actions of another group by withholding funding, or putting stipulations on the use of funds. The power of the purse can be used positively (e.g. awarding extra funding to programs ...

: The ability to control and approve planned government budgetary receipts and expenditures.

Seat allocation

According to the

Constitution of Pakistan The Constitution of Pakistan ( ; ISO 15919, ISO: '' Āīn-ē-Pākistān''), also known as the 1973 Constitution, is the supreme law of Pakistan. The document guides Pakistan's law, political culture, and system. It sets out the state's outlin ...

, the number of seats in each provincial assembly is determined by the population of the corresponding province. Women and non-Muslims have reserved seats in addition to the general seating.

Provincial Assemblies in Pakistan

Provincial Assembly of Balochistan The Provincial Assembly of Balochistan is a unicameral legislature of elected representatives of the Pakistani province of Balochistan, Pakistan, Balochistan, and is located in Quetta, the provincial capital. It was established under Article 106 o ...

Provincial Assembly of Sindh The Provincial Assembly of Sindh is a unicameral legislature of elected representatives of the Pakistani province of Sindh, and is located in Karachi, its provincial capital. It was established under Article 106 of the Constitution of Pakis ...

* Provincial Assembly of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa *

Provincial Assembly of the Punjab The Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, also known as the Punjab Assembly, is the supreme legislative body of Punjab, a province of Pakistan. It convenes at the Assembly Building in Lahore, the capital of Punjab. It is a unicameral legislature o ...

* Provincial Assembly of Gilgit Baltistan * Provincial Assembly of Azad Jammu and Kashmir *

Provincial Assembly of East Pakistan The East Pakistan Provincial Assembly, known as the East Bengal Legislative Assembly between 1947 and 1955, was the provincial legislature of East Pakistan between 1947 and 1971. It was known as the East Bengal Assembly from 1947 to 1955 when the ...

(now dissolved)

References

External links

Provincial Assembly of Balochistan

Provincial Assembly of Sindh

Provincial Assembly of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

Provincial Assembly of the Punjab

National Assembly of Pakistan

Senate of Pakistan
Parliamentary titles {{Pakistan-gov-stub