| PML-N says Speaker is bound to call assembly session within 14 days of requisition | PPP calls Speaker’s move ‘a clear violation of Article 54 (3) of Constitution of Pakistan’
ISLAMABAD - Almost two weeks after the opposition parties submitted no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser Sunday summoned session of the Lower House at the Parliament House in Islamabad on Friday at 11:00am. The session has been summoned on the requisition Opposition, says a notification issued on Sunday.
The session will be the 41st session of the current 15th National Assembly. The Speaker summoned the session under Article 54 (3) and Article 254 of the Constitution. The joint opposition made the requisition for the session along with the submission of the no-confidence motion against the prime minister on March 8.
The clause 3 of Article 54 of the Constitution says, “On a requisition signed by not less than one-fourth of the total membership of the National Assembly, the Speaker shall summon the National Assembly to meet, at such time and place as he thinks fit, within fourteen days of the receipt of the requisition; and when the Speaker has summoned the Assembly only he may prorogue it”.
According to Article 254, “When any act or thing is required by the Constitution to be done within a particular period and it is not done within that period, the doing of the act or thing shall not be invalid or other-wise ineffective by reason only that it was not done within that period.”
It is to mention that the Speaker Asad Qaiser summoned the session under Article 54 (3) read with Article 254 of the Constitution. However, an order issued by the National Assembly Secretariat with signature of Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser, it has been explained that on January 21 a motion was adopted by the National Assembly to allow the exclusive use of its chamber for the 48th session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers on March 22 and 23.
It said that renovation work of the Chamber of the National Assembly and its Lobbies had commenced on the requirement of Ministry of Foreign Affairs to enable the OIC for meeting by end of February 2022, which was undertaken by Capital Development Authority (CDA).
After the receipt of requisition on March 8, 2022, the NA Secretariat had asked the Senate Secretariat to provide its chamber for the lower house’s session but it was also unavailable due to renovation work.
The notification added that the chairman CDA and Deputy Commissioner Islamabad were also approached for the provision of a suitable place outside the Parliament Building but, “they have informed in writing that no suitable place is available at present in Islamabad.”
“In view of the aforementioned facts and circumstances, it is evident that no suitable place would be available for holding the session of the National Assembly till 24th March,” the order stated.
The Speaker’s Order further said, “therefore, in exercise of power conferred upon me under clause (3) of the Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan read with Article 254 of the Constitution, I hereby summon the session of National Assembly on the first available date i.e Friday, the 25th March 2022 at 11:00 am at the Parliament House, Islamabad”.
‘Speaker bound to call session within 14 days of requisition’
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb on Sunday said that it is stated in the Article 54 of the constitution that the Speaker of National Assembly (NA) is bound to call an assembly meeting within 14 days.
The PML-N leader, in a statement, said that the opposition filed the requisition of National Assembly for no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on March 8. According to the filing date the last date for the speaker to call the meeting is March 22, she continued to say. The PML-N spokesperson further said that if the Speaker does not call the NA meeting before the said date, he will be breaking the constitution of Pakistan.
Pakistan Peoples Party Central Information Secretary and member of the National Assembly Shazia Atta Marri said that Speaker of the National Assembly Asad Qaiser should avoid violating the law and the Constitution of Pakistan in order to save the Imran Khan’s government. She said that position of the Speaker National Assembly is neutral, but perhaps, Asad Qaiser also considered that being neutral is only applies on animals and that’s why he is showing partiality.
‘A clear violation of Article 54 (3)’
The joint opposition had submitted the requisition for conveying the National Assembly session on March 8 and if the National Assembly’s session would not be convened within 14 days then it would be a clear violation of Article 54 (3) of the constitution of Pakistan.
This she said in a statement issued hereon today. Shazia Marri said in that rules of the National Assembly’s bounds Speaker National Assembly to start the session of Assembly with no-confidence motion instead of carrying out any other proceedings and PTI leaders had announced that the session of the National Assembly on no-confidence motion would be held on March 28 in their core committee’s meeting which was clear violation of the rules and constitution of the country.
She added that the Pakistan Peoples Party will not allow any move of violation of the Constitution and if any attempt would be made to violate the rules then serious consequences of it, would be faced by the government. She added that as per the Constitution, the Speaker of the National Assembly has full authority to convene the session of the National Assembly and this is not the duty of the President to call the session of the National Assembly.
Speaker National Assembly, Asad Qaiser with his biased attitude has made the OIC conference controversial which is highly regrettable act. She further said that if the Speaker National Assembly will convene National Assembly’s session on 21st March, he will also avoid violating the Constitution of Pakistan and Conference of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation will also be held without any constitutional crisis. Ms Marri added that Pakistan Peoples Party warmly welcomed the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and demanded that there should be no violation of the constitution and that the OIC conference should also be held in a peaceful manner.