The federal government and President Dr Arif Alvi on Tuesday locked horns over the National Assembly session on Tuesday.
Hitting out at the president, the federal government opined: “There is nowhere in Article 91 that the NA session cannot be convened if the parliament is not complete.”
“The president has no authority to stop the NA session, according to Article 54. It is not the ordinary, but the extraordinary session is all about demanding the fulfilment of the constitutional requirements,” said the government.
The centre was of the view that it was mentioned nowhere in the constitution that the NA session could not be summoned if there were no reserved seats.
Sources revealed that the federal government had asked the president to review his decision.
“According to clause 2 of Article 91, convening the NA session following the elections after 24 days is compulsory. The NA session will be held on February 29, even if the president does not convene a meeting on this date,” the federal government stated.
– Shazia Marri asks President Alvi to convene NA session –
PPP leader Shazia Marri emphasised on Sunday that President Dr Arif Alvi must convene a session of the National Assembly based on the prime minister's summary.
Stressing the importance of adherence to the constitution over personal allegiances, Shazia said: "The country's president should prioritise constitutional obligations".
"In the past, it was the president who, in an unconstitutional move, dissolved the assembly".
She urged the current president to "refrain from manipulating the constitution", as witnessed in historical instances.
The PPP stalwart maintained, "Any violation of the constitution or misuse of presidential powers by President Arif Alvi will be recorded in history".
