Govt agrees to convene NA session from 11th.

Byline: Amir Wasim

ISLAMABAD -- The main opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Tuesday agreed to withdraw its requisition notice after the government announced that it would convene the National Assembly session from May 11.

Talking to reporters after attending a meeting of the special committee of the National Assembly, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi announced that the government and the opposition had reached an understanding for convening the physical session of the assembly under strict adherence to health guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for ensuring safety of the members and the staff of the National Assembly Secretariat.

The PML-N made the withdrawal of its requisition notice for convening the NA session with a categorical announcement of a date by the government for summoning the regular assembly session. This is the second time in six weeks that the PML-N has withdrawn its requisition notice.

The party had submitted the requisition notice carrying signatures of 98 opposition members on April 22 under Article 54(3) of the Constitution with a seven-point agenda, mainly seeking discussions on issues related to the coronavirus situation in the country. Under the Constitution, the speaker was bound to convene the assembly session within 14 days i.e. by May 6 (today).

PML-N withdraws requisition notice after FM's assurance

The government and the opposition members had been discussing the SOPs for conducting physical session of the assembly for the past several weeks, but the situation became grave when Speaker Asad Qaiser tested positive for Covid-19 on May 1, leading to the complete shutdown of the National Assembly Secretariat and the Parliament House building till May 9 'for cleaning and disinfecting the building in order to minimise the potential risk of spreading Covid-19'.

Mr Qaiser has quarantined himself at his residence in native Swabi town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since he and some of his family members had tested positive for the virus.

After the meeting, FM Qureshi said the NA sittings would be held on alternate days for a limited duration and only to hold a discussion on the current situation due to spread of Covid-19 across the country and the steps taken by the government to fight the pandemic. The purpose of the debate would be to build a national consensus on the Covid-19 situation, he said.

Mr Qureshi expressed the hope that the government and the opposition would also agree on...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT