ISLAMABAD: Confronted with President Arif Alvi’s apparent reluctance to convene a session of the National Assembly, the government has chosen to bypass him entirely and proceed with the session through the speaker, sources reveal.
The upcoming session, tentatively scheduled for February 29, is expected to be initiated by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, which intends to submit a session summary directly to Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, thus excluding the president from this aspect of the process.
The imperative to convene the new National Assembly session within 21 days of the general elections has expedited this decision, aligning the session date with February 29 for the current assembly.
Although the ministry dispatched a session summary to President Alvi four days ago, his response has yet to materialize. Reports circulating in the media speculate that President Alvi may be awaiting the formal notification of the Sunni Ittehad Council’s reserved seats before officially calling for the session.
In the midst of these developments, the Election Commission of Pakistan has not completed the notification process for all reserved seats for minorities and women in the lower house of Parliament. This adds a layer of complexity to the unfolding scenario, impacting the upcoming session and parliamentary proceedings.
The intricate interplay between executive decisions, presidential actions, and pending notifications heightens the anticipation and underscores the need for efficient coordination among government bodies to ensure the smooth functioning of the National Assembly.
