President Arif Alvi has sent back the summary of the convening meeting of the National Assembly (NA). Sources familiar with the development claimed that a decision was made to convene the inaugural session of the lower house on February 29. 

“According to clause 2 of Article 91 of the Constitution, it was decided to convene the meeting on February 29. Raja Pervaiz Ashraf's consultation with senior officials of the National Assembly secretariat and constitutional experts,” sources claimed.

“The situation came up after the President's non-signing of the summary was reviewed. The president's non-signing of the summary does not hinder the convening of the National Assembly session,” constitutional experts said.

“The power of the president is to call the meeting before 21 days,” constitutional experts.

“According to the Constitution, the meeting of the National Assembly has to be held within 21 days after the elections,” constitutional experts further said.

National Assembly Secretariat has decided.

According to the Constitution: “The meeting cannot be prevented from being called until February 29, briefing the speaker.” 

Meanwhile, consultations have been held with the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and the Ministry of Law and Justice of the National Assembly Secretariat. 

Must Read: Uncertainty looms as President delays session despite caretaker PM's request

Sources said that a decision to convene the National Assembly session on February 29 has been taken. The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs has prepared a summary with the signatures of the caretaker prime minister. The summary will be sent to National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf. 

The speaker will issue a notification to convene the session on the government's summary. The government will not send the summary to the president. 

The convening of the National Assembly remained shrouded in uncertainty as President Arif Alvi has not yet issued orders despite receiving a summary from Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar.

PM Kakar had sent a summary to the president seeking the assembly's convening, but the reasons behind the delay in issuing the orders remain unclear. This lack of transparency has fueled speculation and concerns, particularly as crucial provincial leadership positions are being filled in Punjab and Sindh.

According to the constitutional provisions outlined in Article 91 Clause 2, the National Assembly must convene within 21 days following the general elections, as advised by the caretaker prime minister.

The delay in calling the meeting of the 16th newly elected National Assembly has left many wondering about the rationale behind this decision. Constitutional experts assert that failure to convene the National Assembly meeting will automatically trigger its summons on February 29.