The Secretariat of the National Assembly takes decisions based on the Constitution
President Arif Alvi sent back a summary of the convocation meeting of the National Assembly (NA). Sources familiar with the development claimed that a decision has been taken to convene the constituent session of the lower house on February 29.
“In accordance with Article 2 of Article 91 of the Constitution, it was decided to convene a meeting on February 29. Raji Pervaiz Ashraf’s consultation with senior officials of the National Assembly Secretariat and constitutional experts,” sources claimed.
“The situation arose after the non-signing of the resume by Mr. President was reviewed. Failure to sign the summary by the president does not prevent the convening of a meeting of the National Assembly,” constitutional experts said.
“The power of the president is to call a meeting within 21 days,” constitutional experts said.
“According to the Constitution, the meeting of the National Assembly must be held within 21 days after the election,” constitutional experts further stated.
The Secretariat of the National Assembly decided.
According to the constitution: “The meeting cannot be prevented from being convened until February 29, informing the speaker.”
Meanwhile, consultations were held with the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and the Ministry of Law and Justice of the Secretariat of the National Assembly.
Sources said a decision has been taken to convene the National Assembly session on February 29. The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs prepared a summary with the signatures of the acting Prime Minister. The summary will be sent to National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf.
The chairman issues a notice of convening the meeting for the resolution of the government. The government will not send the summary to the president.
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The convening of the National Assembly remained shrouded in uncertainty as President Arif Alvi has yet to issue orders despite receiving a summary from caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar.
Prime Minister Kakar sent a summary to the President seeking to convene the assembly, but the reasons for the delay in issuing the orders remain unclear. This lack of transparency has fueled speculation and concern, especially as key provincial leadership positions are being filled in Punjab and Sindh.
According to the constitutional provisions mentioned in Article 91(2), the National Assembly must meet within 21 days after the general election on the recommendation of the interim Prime Minister.
The delay in convening the meeting of the 16th newly elected National Assembly has left many wondering about the reasons behind the decision. Constitutional experts say that failure to convene a meeting of the National Assembly will automatically trigger its convening on February 29.
