The National Assembly (NA) will hold its inaugural session today where newly elected MNAs will take oath after President Arif Alvi summoned the NA session at the eleventh hour.
In this regard, Islamabad police increased the security at the Red Zone in Islamabad on Thursday. The maiden session of the lower house is scheduled to begin at 10 am.
READ MORE: Newly Elected Members: Who will sit where in National Assembly?
Outgoing National Assembly speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf will preside over the session. He would administer oaths to the newly elected lawmakers.
The administration has closed the entry of unrelated staff to Parliament and the constitutional avenue. A heavy contingent of police has also been deployed at all entry points.
On the other hand, the Sunni Ittehad Council, which has alliances with PTI, announced its decision to protest against alleged rigging in elections inside and outside Parliament during the house meeting.
President Arif Alvi summons NA session
President Arif Alvi conceded from his earlier stance and approved the summary seeking the summoning of the maiden sitting of the lower house. A formal notification to this effect was issued on Wednesday
President Dr. Arif Alvi has summoned the National Assembly session on February 29 (today) to exercise the powers conferred by Article 54(1) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Subject to some reservations, President Dr Arif Alvi has summoned to convene the National Assembly on 29th February in exercise of the powers conferred by the Article 54(1) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) February 28, 2024
Taking on X, Presdient House in a statement said, the President accorded his approval while keeping in view the mandate and implications of the timeline given in Article 91 (2) and subject to some reservations and expecting the resolution of the issue of the reserved seats before the 21st day.
Earlier, the NA Secretariat had summoned a session following the refusal of the president.