Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf summons NA session on Feb 29: reports

ISLAMABAD: Following rejection by the president, the outgoing Speaker of the National Assembly, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf has summoned the session of the lower house of the Parliament on February 29 for the swearing-in of the new members, said sources.

Previously, President Arif Alvi dismissed a proposal to convene the National Assembly session, where newly-elected MNAs are set to take their oaths.

Sources indicate that the president insisted on the allocation of all reserved seats prior to the session's summoning.

“According to clause 2 of Article 91 of the Constitution, it was decided to convene the meeting on February 29. Raja Pervaiz Ashraf's consultation with senior officials of the National Assembly secretariat and constitutional experts,” sources claimed.

“The power of the president is to call the meeting before 21 days,” constitutional experts.

“According to the Constitution, the meeting of the National Assembly has to be held within 21 days after the elections,” constitutional experts further said.

In response to this development, Shaukat Yousafzai, a prominent figure from the Pakistan Tehreek-I-Insaf (PTI), voiced his stance on Monday, arguing that exerting pressure on President Arif Alvi to organize a joint parliamentary session contradicts the fundamental principles of law and the constitution.