ISLAMABAD: President Arif Alvi has yet to sign a summary sent by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs requesting the National Assembly session to be convened due to the non-allocation of certain reserved seats.
Sources state that the president is of the view that the lower house of parliament remains incomplete because some reserved seats have not been allocated.
Although the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has allotted reserved seats to political parties, it has not allocated a reserved quota to the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) following the inclusion of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed independent candidates into their fold.
The ECP has stated that the matter of SIC reserved seats is still under consideration.
Insiders further reveal that the president has neither accepted nor rejected the summary, providing only verbal feedback on the issue.
The interim government asserts that the NA session will proceed on February 29 even if the president does not sign the summary under Article 91 of the Constitution.
In a statement, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Ishaq Dar mentioned that the National Assembly speaker could convene the session on February 29 if the president does not do so as per the Constitution.
The caretaker federal government emphasizes that calling the National Assembly session within 21 days of the general elections is mandatory under Article 91(2) of the Constitution, according to sources.
Should the president decline to sign the summary, the lower house session will still occur on February 29 in accordance with the Constitution, as per caretaker sources.
Earlier this week, caretaker Minister for Information, Broadcasting, and Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Solangi stated that the first session of the new National Assembly could be scheduled anytime between February 22 and February 29.
According to the Constitution, the president has 21 days from the polling date to convene the National Assembly session, the minister explained during a talk show on Pakistan Television.
Addressing a query, he clarified that a simple majority is needed to form a government, and the president lacks the authority to invite an individual or party for government formation. Following the 18th Constitutional Amendment, he noted, the president represents the Federation.
The Constitution mandates the president to convene the National Assembly session within 21 days of the polling day.
In the inaugural NA session, the current speaker will administer the oath to newly-elected MNAs, followed by the election of speaker, deputy speaker, and prime minister.
