Islamabad [Pakistan], February 29 (ANI): Pakistan President Arif Alvi has summoned a session of the National Assembly today “subject to some reservations”, expecting the issue of Sunni Ittehad Council’s reserved seats to be addressed immediately, Pakistan-based Dawn reported.
In a post shared on X, Pakistan President stated, “The President accorded his approval while keeping in view the mandate and implications of the timeline given in Article 91 (2) and subject to some reservations and expecting the resolution of the issue of the reserved seats before the 21st day [after the general elections].”
Alvi’s decision comes after National Assembly speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf had already summoned an NA session today at 10 am. Earlier, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) criticised Arif Alvi’s earlier decision to not to summon an National Assemby session, who called the delay against the Constitution.
The session has been summoned under Article 54(1) of the Constitution. While summoning a session of the National Assembly, Arif Alvi called the “tone and tenor” of the summary sent by Pakistan caretaker Prime Minister Anwar ul Haq Kakar as “unfortunate,” according to Dawn report.
“Summaries are not usually addressed in this way. It is sad that [the] chief executive of the country addresses the head of the state in the first form and resorts to unacceptable language and allegations without any substance,” statement shared by President House quoted Alvi as saying.
The statement reads, “The President said that he could not be oblivious of some incongruities in the electoral process and the process of formation of the government. According to the statement, “He added that he had to keep national interest in his view, for cohesiveness and betterment of the nation.”
Justifying his decision of returning the summary for a National Assembly session, Alvi said the move was “very much in accordance with the provisions of Article 48(1)” of the Constitution, Dawn reported.
In a statement posted on X, Pakistan President stated, “Return of the summary was very much in accordance with the provisions of Article 48(1), he maintained. “It is not understood on what grounds it has been taken as a partisan act, though it was also aimed at the completion of the National Assembly in accordance with Article 51 of the Constitution, so that people of Pakistan are not deprived of taking part in the executive decisions of the country through their representatives as enshrined in the Objectives Resolution.”
The statement added, “The President said that he did not want to indulge and engage himself or to dwell into such baseless accusations of constitutional violation attributed in the Summary. He further remarked that it was needless to remind that a Caretaker Prime Minister/set up was merely responsible to ensure conducive conditions for the peaceful, fair and transparent holding of the General elections, within the framework of the Constitution and the timeline on which many quarters had expressed reservations.” (ANI)
