President Arif Alvi has rejected the summary regarding the caretaker parliamentary affairs ministry, disputing the planned National Assembly meeting set for 10 am on February 26. The president has emphasized the importance of finalizing the allocation of reserved seats for women and minorities before the assembly convenes.
This decision has sparked a constitutional discussion, leading Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf to announce the meeting for Thursday, February 29, invoking Clause 2 of Article 91 of the Constitution. After consulting with senior officials and constitutional experts from the National Assembly Secretariat, this move was deemed necessary due to the president’s refusal to endorse the summary.
As per constitutional guidelines, the National Assembly meeting must occur within 21 days of the elections, with February 29 designated as the mandated date under Article 91. If the assembly proceeds with the scheduled meeting on February 29, the new speaker’s timetable will be disclosed on the same day post-oath. Subsequently, on March 1, papers for the speaker’s election will be filed, followed by the elections for the speaker and deputy speaker on March 2.
The nomination papers for the prime ministerial election are scheduled for submission on March 3, with the prime minister’s election set for March 4 in the National Assembly. The Election Commission of Pakistan is slated to conduct the presidential election on March 9 in accordance with the constitutional timeline. Additionally, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly is also required to convene on February 29 as per constitutional obligations.
