Pakistan's National Assembly Session Finally Happens Despite Presidential Resistance

 

The first session of Pakistan's new National Assembly was scheduled for February 29th after some disagreement over its timing. National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf had to call the inaugural session himself since President Arif Alvi refused to, claiming the lower house wasn't fully composed yet. 

The president's reluctance invited criticism from political parties like the PML-N and PPP, who felt he was overstepping his role. Observers thought he aimed to postpone the session until the Election Commission decided reserved seats for an alliance numerous PTI candidates had joined.However, the constitution mandates the NA convenes within 21 days of a general election, which occurred on February 8th. If the president doesn't call it in time, the secretariat can do so itself. A secretariat official told reporters they were ready and the president must comply.

They noted past reforms obligate timely sessions. The official dismissed claims incomplete membership precluded proceedings, since more seats were already vacant than the cited reason. Meanwhile, media received invites to cover the inaugural session as planned on Thursday. In other news, the Election Commission will hold open hearings today on requests relating to reserved seats. This includes the SIC's plea for allocations and an MQM-P petition against recognizing the SIC as a parliamentary group. Several related cases will also be reviewed.Additionally, hearings continue on ex-PM Nawaz Sharif's appeal of election results in Mansehra. Both sides presented arguments on Monday, with the commission adjourning to receive more views today. A ruling on prolonging the stayed notification is pending once discussions conclude.