President Arif Alvi has returned the summary of the National Assembly's convening meeting. Sources familiar with the matter claim that a decision has been made to hold the inaugural session of the lower house on February 29.
"It was decided, in accordance with clause 2 of Article 91 of the Constitution, to convene the meeting on February 29 after consultations with senior officials of the National Assembly secretariat and constitutional experts," sources stated.
Constitutional experts clarified, "The president's failure to sign the summary does not impede the convening of the National Assembly session."
"The president is empowered to call the meeting within 21 days," constitutional experts added.
"As per the Constitution, the National Assembly meeting must be held within 21 days after the elections," they further explained.
The National Assembly Secretariat has made the decision.
"The meeting cannot be delayed beyond February 29, as per the Constitution," briefed the speaker.
Additionally, consultations have been held with the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and the Ministry of Law and Justice of the National Assembly Secretariat.
Sources indicate that the decision to convene the National Assembly session on February 29 has been finalized. The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs has drafted a summary with the signatures of the caretaker prime minister. This summary will be forwarded to National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf.
The speaker will issue a notification to convene the session based on the government's summary, bypassing the need to send it to the president.
The uncertainty surrounding the convening of the National Assembly persists as President Arif Alvi has not yet issued orders despite receiving the summary from Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar.
PM Kakar had submitted a summary to the president seeking the assembly's convening, but the reasons for the delay in issuing the orders remain unclear. This lack of transparency has raised speculation and concerns, especially as crucial provincial leadership positions are being filled in Punjab and Sindh.
As per the constitutional provisions outlined in Article 91 Clause 2, the National Assembly must convene within 21 days following the general elections, as advised by the caretaker prime minister.
The delay in convening the meeting of the 16th newly elected National Assembly has left many questioning the rationale behind this decision. Constitutional experts assert that failure to convene the National Assembly meeting will automatically trigger its summons on February 29.
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