ISLAMABAD: After President Dr Arif Alvi returned the summary of convening the National Assembly (NA) session, the government decided to bypass the President and summon the session through the Speaker.
According to media reports, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, will call the inaugural session of the lower house on February 29, as per Clause 2 of Article 91 of the Constitution.
This decision followed consultations led by Raja Pervaiz Ashraf with senior officials of the National Assembly Secretariat and constitutional experts.
The situation arose after the President declined to sign the summary, but constitutional experts clarified that his non-signing did not impede the National Assembly session from being convened.
Constitutional experts stated that the President’s authority lies in calling the meeting before the expiration of 21 days, as mandated by the Constitution for post-election assembly sessions.
The National Assembly Secretariat has made the decision, ensuring compliance with the constitutional requirement to convene the session within 21 days after the elections.
Consultations with the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and the Ministry of Law and Justice of the National Assembly Secretariat have been conducted. It has been decided to convene the National Assembly session on February 29.
The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs has prepared a summary bearing the caretaker prime minister’s signature, which will be submitted to the National Assembly Speaker, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf.
Resolve Reserved Seats Issue Before National Assembly Session: President
The Speaker will issue a notification to convene the session based on the government’s summary, bypassing the President.
Despite receiving a summary from Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar requesting the summoning of the National Assembly session, President Arif Alvi returned the summary, citing the need to first resolve the issue related to reserved seats.
Constitutional provisions outlined in Article 91 Clause 2 necessitate the National Assembly’s convening within 21 days of general elections, as advised by the caretaker prime minister.
