President’s refusal prompts speaker to convene assembly session

ISLAMABAD: In response to the president’s refusal, National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf initiated the scheduling of the inaugural session of the lower house of parliament for 10 AM on February 29.

President Arif Alvi’s decision not to summon the session, citing an ‘incomplete house’, has drawn criticism from various political quarters. Both the PML-N and PPP have urged the president not to misuse his authority as the head of state.

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Observers have speculated that the president’s reluctance to summon the session might be linked to the awaited notification from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) regarding the reserved seats of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), a group that many lawmakers backed by the PTI have joined.

According to constitutional provisions, the first session of the National Assembly must convene within 21 days after the general elections held on February 8. Section 91(2) of the Constitution stipulates that “The National Assembly shall meet on the twenty-first day following the day on which a general election to the assembly is held, unless sooner summoned by the president.”

A senior official from the National Assembly Secretariat emphasized that the president has a duty to call the NA session within the stipulated timeframe. Failure to do so could result in the secretariat itself announcing the session. All preparations for the inaugural session of the new assembly have been completed by the secretariat.

Under the 18th Amendment, the president is obligated to convene the NA session within 21 days. This clause was introduced after delays in convening the NA by late military dictator Pervez Musharraf in 2002. An “incomplete” NA, the official noted, does not grant the president the authority to halt its proceedings.

While the president awaits the allocation of 10 reserved seats for women from the SIC, it has been pointed out that more seats remain vacant due to multiple candidates contesting polls from various constituencies.

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Meanwhile, the media wing of the National Assembly Secretariat has extended invitations to media personnel to cover the first session of the 16th National Assembly on Thursday.

Furthermore, the Election Commission of Pakistan has scheduled an open hearing on Tuesday to address the plea from the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) regarding the allocation of reserved seats in the national and provincial assemblies.