Speaker Calls NA Session on February 29th Despite President’s Rejection.
President Arif Alvi has objected to the proposed session of the National Assembly on February 26, returning the summary of the caretaker ministry of parliamentary affairs. Alvi cited the necessity of completing the process of allocating reserved seats for women and minorities before convening the National Assembly session.
This move has sparked a constitutional debate, with Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf calling for the National Assembly session to be convened on Thursday, February 29, in accordance with Clause 2 of Article 91 of the Constitution.
Speaker Ashraf’s decision comes after consultations with senior officers and constitutional experts of the National Assembly Secretariat, who reviewed the situation resulting from the president’s refusal to sign the summary.
As per constitutional provisions, the National Assembly meeting must be convened within 21 days of the elections, with February 29 being the mandated date under Article 91.
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If the National Assembly meeting proceeds as scheduled on February 29, the schedule for the new speaker will be released on the same day following the oath. Subsequently, on March 1, papers for the speaker’s election will be submitted, and on March 2, the speaker and deputy speaker will be elected.
The process for submitting nomination papers for the election of the prime minister is set for March 3, with the prime minister’s election in the National Assembly scheduled for March 4. The Election Commission of Pakistan will then conduct the presidential election on March 9.
Additionally, the constitutional timeline requires the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly to convene on February 29.
