President Arif Alvi has returned the proposal from Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq regarding specific parliamentary seats, expressing concerns over the sequencing of events.
The President insisted that the allocation of reserved seats for women and minorities should precede the convening of the National Assembly meeting. Consequently, he sent the summary back to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar had forwarded a proposal to President Arif Alvi to convene a National Assembly meeting at 10 am on February 26. According to constitutional requirements, the meeting must occur within 21 days of the elections, with February 29 being excluded as a possible date.
If the National Assembly convenes on February 29, the new Speaker’s schedule will be determined on the same day following the oath-taking ceremony. Subsequently, on March 1, papers for the Speaker’s election will be submitted, with the election itself taking place on March 2 along with the election of the Deputy Speaker.
Likewise, the nomination process for the Prime Ministerial election will commence on March 3, with the election itself scheduled for March 4. The Election Commission of Pakistan will oversee the Presidential election on March 9. Additionally, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly meeting will also need to be called for February 29.
Senator Ishaq Dar of the Muslim League-N has highlighted that if the President does not act on the summary, the Speaker holds the constitutional authority to convene the meeting on February 29.
