President Asif Ali Zardari is set to address both houses of the parliament on Thursday, marking the commencement of the parliamentary year following the general elections held on February 8.
The session has been convened by President Zardari in accordance with Articles 54(1) and 56(3) of the Constitution. His address to the joint session, as per Article 56(3), will commence at 4pm.
Initially scheduled for April 16, the joint session has been rescheduled to April 18, leading to the cancellation of the previous notification. This session holds significance as it is the first joint session of the new parliamentary year, convened after the constitutional election of members to both the upper and lower houses.
Former President Arif Alvi, despite being in office, was unable to call for a joint session due to pending Senate elections. However, following President Zardari’s inauguration and the successful conduct of Senate polls, he has now called for this joint session.
Notably, the last joint session was summoned by Alvi on October 6, 2022, during the tenure of a coalition government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. During that session, which marked the beginning of the last parliamentary year of the then-National Assembly, Alvi emphasized the necessity for dialogue and the mitigation of political polarization in the face of growing instability.
The address, however, was overshadowed by an unannounced boycott from several major political parties including the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F). Only 15 lawmakers were initially present during the speech, a number which dwindled to 12 as it progressed.
