President Asif Ali Zardari is poised to deliver a significant address at the joint session of parliament today, marking the commencement of the parliamentary year subsequent to the February 8 general elections, as reported by The News on Thursday.
Scheduled to convene at 4pm, this session has been summoned by President Zardari utilizing the powers stipulated in Articles 54 (1) and 56 (3) of the Constitution. Notably, this will mark President Zardari’s seventh address to the joint session of parliament, having previously done so during his tenure as the head of state from 2008 to 2013.
In addition to this, the president has also called for a National Assembly (NA) session on Friday at 10:30 am, exercising authority conferred upon him under Article 54 (1) of the Constitution.
Initially slated for April 16, the joint session had been rescheduled for today.
This joint session assumes heightened significance as it marks the first convening following the initiation of the new parliamentary year, following the election of members to both the upper and lower houses of parliament.
Despite the general elections taking place on February 8 and former president Arif Alvi still occupying office, the summoning of a joint session had been delayed due to pending Senate elections.
It is noteworthy that the last joint session had been called on October 6, 2022, during the governance of a coalition government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. President Alvi had convened the session to mark the beginning of the last parliamentary year of the then-National Assembly.
Expectations for today’s session include anticipated strong reactions from opposition benches, particularly from members affiliated with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), who have previously staged robust protests during parliamentary proceedings.
The National Assembly Secretariat has extended invitations to several dignitaries, including the chief justice of Pakistan, governors, chief ministers of all provinces, as well as representatives from Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Furthermore, senior officials and officeholders, including the Pakistan Army’s chairman joint chiefs of staff committee (CJCSC) and the three services chiefs, as well as speakers and deputy speakers from all provincial assemblies, have been invited to partake in the joint session.
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