President Alvi violating constitution by not summoning NA session: Tarar

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Atta Tarar demanded the formation of a committee against President Dr Arif Alvi for ‘violating’ the constitution and his oath, ARY News reported.

Addressing a presser, Atta Tarar said that the National Assembly session has to be summoned within 21 days of the general elections. “President Dr Arif Alvi is violating the constitution and his oath by not calling the assembly session,” he added.

Atta Tarar alleged that the President’s House has become a ‘hub of conspiracies’. The PML-N leader and MNA-elect from NA-127 Lahore said a committee should be formed against the President for ‘misusing’ his powers.

“If the President does not summon the National Assembly session within 21 days of the elections, the speaker can do the same,” he added while quoting the constitution.

It is pertinent to mention here that despite receiving a summary from the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, President Alvi has not yet called a meeting of the National Assembly.

The president maintained that the National Assembly is still incomplete as a decision on some reserved seats is yet to be announced.

Although political parties have been granted reserved seats by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) has not received a reserved quota since independent candidates backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) joined their ranks.

Earlier in the day, PML-N leader Ishaq Dar said that the President has to summon the National Assembly session by February 29 at any cost.

The former finance minister talking to the media said that it is mandatory to convene the NA session within 21 days of the election.

“We were thinking that the first session of the National Assembly will be held on Feb 27,” he said. “The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs has forwarded a summary for the session on February 17, but the President has yet to sign it,” Ishaq Dar said