National Assembly session called on March 25 to take up no-trust motion

ISLAMABAD, March 20: National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser Sunday called the much-awaited assembly session on March 25 to take up the no-confidence motion submitted by the joint opposition against Prime Minister Imran Khan. Though the development is set to upset the Opposition which wanted the session to be called before March 22, the speaker summoned the NA to meet at 11:00 am in the Parliament House on Friday. According to the notification issued in Islamabad on Sunday, the speaker called the NA session exercising his powers under Constitution’s clauses 54(3) and 254, and on the requisition submitted by the Opposition. This is going to be the 41st session of the Lower House of the Parliament. Earlier, Speaker AsadQaiser chaired an important meeting of assembly’s secretariat officials to review the rules for convening assembly’s session. The speaker held the meeting at his residence in Islamabad which was attended by the officials of National Assembly Secretariat, holding consultations on convening the assembly session and deliberated on rules and procedures in this connection. They also considered the option of convening the NA session on March 25 instead of March 21. Speaker AsadQaiser while justifying a delay in the National Assembly session said that there was no space available for requisitioning the session on March 21. “National Assembly’s hall was not available after a motion was approved on January 21 for giving the space for OIC moot,” he said and added, “the hall will remain in use until March 23.” He shared that he also approached for Senate’s hall on opposition’s requisition, however, it was also not available. “Chairman CDA and commissioner was also approached for alternative arrangements but none of them had the alternate place available for National Assembly session.” The opposition submitted requisition for summoning the assembly session on March 8 and the Speaker was bound to call the session within 14 days after the opposition’s requisition was submitted. Meanwhile, the leadership of opposition parties has instructed their parliamentarians to stay put in the capital to ensure their presence in a National Assembly session that could be convened on March 25 for voting on the no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan. Opposition leaders said the speaker of the lower house of the parliament could convene the assembly session any time and directed the lawmakers belonging to their parties to stay put in Islamabad. They said the speaker can not delay calling the session as per the law and Constitution. -NNI